


A Simple Touch

by StarGirl235



Series: The Physician Series [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Book 1, Drama, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Identity Reveal, Season/Series 03, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Time Travel, locket
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29225220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGirl235/pseuds/StarGirl235
Summary: Life can change in a flicker of an eye when you don't expect it to. But for Alice Noble, that moment happened at her big sisters' wedding, a man calling himself "the Doctor turns her world upside down all in one day.It's until the young Doctor in training along with her best friend Martha the bumps into him again a couple of months later ending up on another adventure and gives her an offer she can't possibly refuse.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Physician Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145801
Kudos: 1





	1. (1) The Runaway Bride

_"That's my name end of discussion."_

_"Hey, alright no need to get all defensive." Whatever personal issues your dealing with right now, don't start taking them out on somebody you've just met."_

_"Sorry."_

_"Alice Noble, sister of the bride. Mostly I prefer Ally, but I'm not bothered either way."_

**DISCLAIMER**

I do not own Doctor or it's characters they belong to the BBC. Just own my OC Alice Noble and my plot it belongs to me so please don't steal.

**NOTE 📝**

I apologise for grammar or plot mistakes in advance. Don't begin pointing it out because I know it's there and will come back to it at a later date. This story is based in the world of Doctor Who.

Please also leave a kudos or comment I'd really appreciate the support.

Thank you 🙏

**WARNING⚠️**

Mild language

**CAST**

Sophie Turner as Alice Noble

Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

David Tennant as the Doctor

Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness

John Simm as the Master

**PLAYLIST**

Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

Paradise - Coldplay

Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

When Love Takes Over - David Guetta (featuring Kelly Rowland)

* * *

Alice couldn't be more proud of her big sister in this very moment, watching Donna beaming with such love and happiness in her eyes stood before her reflection, the mirror stood in front of. Because today she was getting married. A day Donna has probably looked forward to as long as she could remember. That's Donna for you. Alice thought to know how much she had talked about it, but she loved her big sister all the same. Because she and Donna don't anything lying down from anyone without a fight. They did have the best of each other.

"You look stunning, sis," Alice complimented with a gentle smile. She honestly did, the dress she and their mother helped Donna pick out was gorgeous, and it made Alice grin from ear to ear at how amazing it made her sister look.

"Oh, don't so ridiculous, because don't feel like that I look beautiful," the older Noble blushed from her sister's compliment.

"Hey what have I told you about putting yourself down all the time. You look beautiful,"

The young redhead scolded her sister, grabbing her the shoulders turning Donna to face her, staring her right in the eyes, "Don't let anyone tell you that you're not; because you know you are," Alice always hated when Donna put herself down on anything she did in her life, that she didn't feel like she wasn't worth anything to anyone. But she was hoping and praying that Lance would treat her sister nicely. If not he'd have her to deal with when she threatened the man after finding out about her sister's engagement. Yet she didn't know even know the man from here to Timbuktu, something about him just seemed off about him but rid her head of it for now. Because all that mattered to Alice is that he made Donna happy, but it somehow didn't make that uneasy feeling go away when she was with him.

Donna responded with a nod of confidence, and Alice gives her a comforting hug. They both break apart soon as there's a knock upon the door and the voice of their father filtered through.

"Girls! It's time!"

"Coming dad!" Alice called back, "We'll be down in a moment!" she turned back to Donna, giving her shoulders a squeeze of reassurance, "So are you ready for this sis?"

"More than anything," Donna sighed heavily, to Alice she looked pretty nervous. Which was a rather rare sight for her to see.

"Come on, Don it'll be alright there's no need to be nervous," Alice called her by the nickname that she only could use but anyone else who did would be heading for a slap. She gave her big sister's shoulders another squeeze, "Like seriously, what's the worse that could happen?"

Yet Alice Noble...didn't know how far from the truth that she was. With the events that would soon transpire.

"Ignore me I'm just being silly."

"You're only human Donna," the young sniggered, going to peck her cheek. Linking her arm through hers, with a big cheese-eating grin, "Now let's get you hitched."

"You think you're just such a clever clogs don't you?" Donna asked mockingly as they walked towards the door.

"Oh, yeah I'm exceptionally smart," the young woman returned in the same manner. Both the sisters paused for a moment after Alice had finally finished speaking, only for them to start burst out laughing as they closed the door behind them.  
  


**-Doctor Who-**

Alice tried her best to hold back her laughter, just as their father, Geoffrey, as he linked arms with his youngest daughter instead of his eldest on the other side. Donna sharply coughed as the sisters switched positions.

"Sorry, love," their father apologised.

The young Noble giggled slightly and Donna looked back at her with a scowl.

"Oi, that wasn't funny."

She cleared her throat awkwardly, "Sorry."

The church organ now began playing. As Donna let out a sigh of happiness, the scowl having now vanished from her face, the whole congregation standing to their feet at the sight of her before them. Her eyes catch Lance's stood right at the front before the alter and returned equally anticipated smiles. Peering over her shoulder at to still see Alice there. Who gives her a thumbs up and a wink, silent mouthing with a proud smile.

"You've got this, Don."

This made her smile much wider before returning to face everyone again, meeting her future husband's eye as the music continued. Alice hated to admit this to herself but Lance did indeed look handsome in his suit, but not entirely. There was probably other men out there in the world who looked a far better sight in a suit than him...much better.

Every person in the congregation was passing looks of happiness as Donna passed down the aisle, well maybe for except Nerys, who Alice could see giving her sister nothing but looks of contempt. She shook her head and rolled her eyes about it. How on earth her sister became friends with a woman like her? Alice didn't know what Donna had seen in her that she couldn't.

She returned her attention to the wedding, but when she did. Alice's mouth dropped open at the sight of her sister glimmering with a golden light around her.

"Donna!" the young woman shouted, long and hard. As right before the congregation's eyes, Donna vanished in a puff of gold dust as everyone talked amongst themselves, as Alice stared at the spot where her sister had stood.

**-Doctor Who-**

Things had gotten crazy over the last couple of hours, as Alice paced back and forth with worry as the large crowd of family and friends were flitting about madly about the charge, as they tried to understand what was going on. From the corner of her eye, Alice's mother Sylvia was on her phone, talking rather loudly as she shoved herself through groups of people.

"No, she didn't run away. We're not talking jitters. She vanished. Now, go and check the house and see if she's there," Slyvia hangs up before going to scold her niece Angelica, "Oh, Angelica, that's not helping, is it? Now, smarten up."

"Sorry."

Alice stopped her pacing to notice Lance approaching her mother, "Lance...any sign?"

"I've looked all around and I can't find her. Where the hell did she go?" he goes disappearing back into the crowded room and Alice goes up to her mother, opens her mouth about to say something to her only to get cut off, when Sylvia implies to husband and youngest daughter, "Showing off, that's where she is! The first day of school she got sent home for biting someone."

Despite being annoyed at her mother, Alice's voice remained calm despite the scowl upon her features, "Donna isn't showing off, mum," she tells her, "Even if she was, she's never vanished out of thin air before," she crossed her arms over her chest, "On her wedding day of all things! Tell why on Earth she'd go and do that?"

Her dad nodded, "She's got a point there love."

"She didn't disappear, it's a trick! It's one of her silly 'look at me' party pieces," soon as Sylvia had finished speaking, a sudden look worry appeared on her face. Alice saw a glint her mum's eyes that something has crossed her mind, "What if she's dead?"

"Oh, don't say that!"

"Come, mum, this Donna we're talking about, I'm sure she'll be fine," the young woman tried to other her some reassuring words, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, "She's very capable of looking after herself."

**-Doctor Who-**  
  


Another hour goes drifting by and Donna was still nowhere to found. Alice knew deep down in her heart that she was fine, but now worry was beginning to set in and it seemed like she was the only one who cared. Everyone else was more bother about having a good old time and had decided to go ahead with the reception. Alice had insisted that they cancel it, but they just didn't listen, sending daggers to everyone throughout the room, dancing on without a care.

She shook her head at them, before turning back to the bar and ordering a drink, "Rum and Coke, please."

"Sure," the bartender nodded and began doing the drink. Before passing it to her a few short minutes later.

Awhile later sitting on a bar stool, nursing what must be her third rum and coke, moving the lime wedge around her glass out of pure boredom with a straw. Knowing she should be partying and having fun with the rest of her family, but it wasn't a party without her big sister. Donna was always the life and soul of the party in Alice's eyes. It was never a dull moment when she was around.

The young Noble let out a sigh when suddenly the music stopped playing and livid the familiar voice of her sister, "You had the reception without me?"

Beaming with joy, Alice quickly got off her stool swaying on the spot for a moment and goes in the direction she can hear Donna's voice only to find someone else was with her. The man looked to be into his mid to late '30s, was tall and rather slender, with brown hair seemed to have a whole life of its own, her not so subtle drunken thoughts wonder what it is like to run her hands through it and the suit he wore was brown with blue pinstripes.

With a shake of her head from her thoughts, Alice quickly pulled Donna into an almost bone-crushing hug, "Donna!" she cried, "Thank God!"

Donna gives her little sister a small pat on the back, returning a smile before letting her go to ask once again, "You had the reception without me?"

Lance shifted awkwardly on his feet before Nerys, "Donna what happened to ya?"

Donna's voice goes up another octave and again repeated more firmly, "You had the reception without me!"

A deafening silence suddenly filled the room until gets broken by the grinning man beside her sister, as he greeted with a wave, "Hello! I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor?" the young Noble asked, her face screwing up in confusion, "Doctor Who?"


	2. (2) The Runaway Bride

The reception was now back in full motion again, Alice smiled with joy as she watched her older sister, who was currently on the dance floor and with Lance. Her eyes began to wander over to the bar catching a glimpse of the mysterious man who called himself 'the Doctor' who had shown up with Donna earlier. He also seemed to be interested in her big sister for a moment. Alice just couldn't make the man out, well he was a little strange of course but not in a bad way. He didn't look harmful, yet there was just something else nagging at her about him, but for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. Yet she saw something in those eyes, that he's suffered a lot in his life. They made him look a lot wiser for a man his age, a man that has witnessed too much, which made Alice's heart go out to him a little.

With Alice still gazing at the man, who even hadn't noticed somebody was watching him, which is something she's thankful for not being caught out just yet. Which wasn't that surprising to hear he hadn't really. Because her staring at was him was apparent, and she continued to do so. As he now asked a man beside him if he could borrow his mobile phone, they give it to him, and he slides on a pair of square-framed glasses that made him look a lot more attractive, or Alice could even say a little foxy. 'For goodness sake girl control yourself,' Alice thought and shook her head, as she sees him browsing through the mobile.

Now finally finished, he gave the phone back to its owner and now just realised somebody's eyes were on him, the eyes of a young woman with flaming red intricately done up hair. When a person gets typically caught staring at another person, the reaction would be to blush with embarrassment usually. Still, this young woman was facing him head-on with determination, not breaking eye contact as she offered a friendly smile.

Only for him to return it rather forcefully. It instantly dissolving from his features soon as he turned away and replaced with sadness. Alice followed the trail of his eyes to a dark-haired man and a blonde woman dancing, she's thrown backwards slightly over the man's arm. With a harsh swallow becoming much more unhappy than he already was, hurriedly turned away.

Before she knew it Alice's legs were guiding her towards him, "I'm going to tell you a few things," she now leaned against the bar beside him, with a rather misleading grin, "The whole point of a party is to let your hair down and have some fun and not look like they've got the weight of the entire world on their shoulders."

He looked back at her complete lost for words on how to respond to her.

"But, I'm not going to judge you for it," she casually responded with a small shrug, "Some people like to party and some people don't, well in your case maybe it's something you're not bothered about. So, maybe it wouldn't kill you, to try and pretend that you're enjoying yourself for Donna's sake she's your friend after all ."

"She's not my friend," he returned a little more bitterly than he meant to. Yet the way she was looking at him it was like she's just received the best news of her life today.

With another harsh swallow, he turned away wanting to ignore her. As he catches sight of a man with a camcorder in the corner of the room, filming the wedding reception.

"Finally he speaks!" she laughed, noticing the look on his face.

"Uh...well," he cleared his throat awkwardly, before continuing to speak, "I've only just met Donna quite recently."

"So can I ask is 'the Doctor' your actual proper name?" she asked with air quotes.

"Yes, it is."

"Oh, come on you can't be serious?"

"That's my name end of discussion," he bit back moodily.

"Hey, alright no need to get all defensive," the young redhead retorted, her eyes narrowing into slits, "Whatever personal issues you're dealing with right now, don't start taking them out on somebody you've just met."

"Sorry," he responded with a slight flinch.

Her emotional state changed with a flick of a switch, now offering a beaming smile, "I'm Alice by the way," she held out her hand but he stared back with a rather uncertain expression, "Alice Noble, the bride's sister...of course. Most people call me Ally, but I'm not bothered either way," but he just continued staring at her hand, "Ya know when somebody offers their hand, you're supposed to shake it. My hands are clean so don't worry about germs or anything.

With a shake of his head, a look of embarrassment spread across his features as he gave the young woman's hand a shake. Quickly letting, he gazed at the redhead for a couple of seconds before muttering, "Uh, excuse me."

Alice watched him wondering towards the cameraman. That made her question what the Doctor was doing over there. But with a shrug of her shoulders, there was not a much younger man around her age now attending the bar with a flirtatious smile she ordered another fruity cocktail. Now having been served her drink, Alice took a long sip savouring the taste, once downing it completely and putting it down.

"Thanks, handsome," she thanks him with a playful smile. He returned the smile in she offered an amorous wink back. After that, she went in search of her older sister, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"Really again?!" Alice asked with a sigh of disbelief. Then spotting her mum to ask if she'd seen her big sis, "Mum, do you know where Donna has got to?"

"The last time was when she was dancing with Lance," she replied before leaning in to have a whiff of the alcohol on her youngest daughters breath, "Are you drunk young lady?"

"God, mum! I'm a grown woman I can drink as much as I want it's a party."

"Well don't drink too much more you know what happened last Christmas you were hungover in bed all day and had your Christmas dinner in bed."

"You're a real help sometimes mum," the young woman returned sarcastically.

"Of course dear," she gives her daughters cheek a loving pat with her hand not having noticed the manner of her response. Made Alice sometimes wonder if she was their daughter.

Suddenly the Doctor came bursting through the crowd, shouting, "Get away from the tree!"

Donna comes dashing in after him shouting as well, "Don't touch the trees!"

Alice began to frown trying to understand what the hell was going on.

"Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!" the Doctor insisted as he continued to shout at everyone, trying his best to move the crowd away.

Alice went to approach her sister, "Donna what the hell is going on?"

"No time to answer that right now. Just try and get people away from the Christmas trees!" Donna pleaded to her little sister, who saw the fear in her sister's eyes as her hand firmly grasped her arm.

Even though she still didn't have the foggiest what was going on, she could understand her sister's frightened expression so with a quick nod Alice insisted she help her.

"Thanks, sis!" she dragged Alice towards a group of little children and help her move them away from a Christmas tree, "Oi, Lance don't just stand there!" Donna screamed at her fiancé, "Tell everyone to get away from the trees!"

"Stay away from the trees!" Alice heard the Doctor yelling once again.

She could practically hear her mother babbling on in utter frustration about the strange man in question, "Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot! Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna..." at that moment her voice trailed off in surprise, "oh!"

Alice didn't know if what her eyes were seeing is real or just a figment of her drunken stupor. Trying to find it in her disbelief that the baubles from the Christmas trees were dancing about.

The whole room began to chatter excitedly, before suddenly diving around the room and making tiny explosions.

"Fuck!" Alice cursed under her breath, throwing herself to the floor, narrowly missing one that almost got her.

"Ally! Ally where are you?!" she hears Donna screaming frantically for her, the young woman popped her head up to witness her older sister and Lance hiding beneath a table from protection of the small explosions.

Everyone chatters excitedly until they start dive-bombing around the room and causing small explosions. Everyone starts screaming and running for cover. Donna pulls Lance down to hide under a table with her. The Doctor runs over to the DJ's stand. The Santas are lined up opposite. Now having seen Alice she gestured for her to join her and Lance. Charging over, she catches the Doctor out the corner of her eye running towards DJ booth. Finally reaching them she sat squashed between them both Donna holds onto Alice like a vice.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" the young Noble shouted over the explosions only to get interrupted by the Doctor before her sister could even reply.

"Oi! Santa! Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver..." he spoke through a microphone, "...don't let him near the sound system."

She sees him pointing a small silver stick in his hand with blue shining light on its end and holds it against the amplifiers, emitting the most horrendous screeching noise-making everyone covers their ears. It suddenly stops and Alice gets pulled up onto her feet by Donna who keeps a tight hold on her hand.

Glancing about the room, Alice sees everyone now getting to their feet. Donna has now let go of her sister's hand, went to assist two children called Connie and Michael, the young redhead stormed towards the Doctor, who she finds gathering things from the strange-looking Santa's that had blown to pieces.

"You are going to tell me what the hell is going on?!" Alice firmly insisted, glaring daggers at him with arms folded across her chest. But it seemed he was clearly ignoring her and she snarled quietly to herself. One of Alice's pet peeves was that she hated to be ignored, "Excuse me! It's rude to not answer someone when they're talking to you!" she hollered.

But again she got no response from him and was on the verge of swearing when he finally looked her way and spoke, "Look at that -- remote control for the decorations," that's when she realised it wasn't her he was talking to as Alice followed his gaze towards her older sister letting out a small noise of aggravation. That man was heading for a slap, "But there's a second remote control for the robots," he was examining the head of one, "They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"Never mind all that, you're a doctor -- people have been hurt," Alice and Donna scanned over the room with concern for those who were hurt.

Before the young Noble spoke up, "Sorry but far as I'm concerned you have to earn that title," she glared questionably at him, "But maybe he's not that kind of Doctor."

"Nah, they wanted you alive, look," he threw a bauble at her but she instantly batted it away, sending it back in his direction earning a glare from him in return after avoiding it, "Hey, will you be careful!"

All she did was offer a glare moodily at him, "Oh, I do apologise! Maybe it was because you tried throwing a bomb at my sister!"

"Well, they aren't active now!"

"Then maybe warn somebody next time you do it!"

"Maybe if you let me explain myself then I could have!"

"Oi! Will both of you shut up!"

Alice and the Doctor both almost jumped out of their skins from Donna as both turned in sync to meet her narrowed eyes.

"Sorry, Donna," the two apologised to her.

With a shake of her head, Donna continued, "All I'm saying -- you could help."

But the Doctor wasn't paying the slightest attention holding the robots head against his ear, before muttering to himself loudly, "Gotta think of the bigger picture... there's still a signal!" he suddenly exclaimed almost making Alice jump before he went running off.

Donna about to follow after him gets stopped by her mother, "Donna..." Alice could heat how frightened she was, "Who is he? Who is that man?"

But it seemed Donna couldn't answer it for her as she went chasing after the Doctor as Alice, her mother and Lance stared after her.

Donna doesn't have an answer for her. She follows the Doctor, leaving Sylvia and Lance staring after her.

Alice debated with herself for a moment whether to follow after them or not but if she wanted answers she had to follow them and get those answers. But what annoyed her most was that Lance had followed along with her as well and finally reached the Doctor and her sister just to hear him say, "I've lost the signal - Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started," the Doctor suddenly noticed Lance, turning to ask him, "Lance -- is it Lance? Can you give me a lift?" he darts off before he's even answered. Making Alice think that he likes to do a lot of running about.

She continued to follow after them only for Donna to pull her back by the arm, "Alice, stay here and keep a close watch on mum...you'll be much better off here."

"If you think I'm staying here then you're wrong," Alice insisted sternly, "And you can't convince me to either."

Donna stares at her sister for a moment letting out a sigh of defeat and nodded. The young Noble returned a grin, before both the sisters went following after the Doctor along with Lance. Soon they arrived at HC Clements, darting inside the building and into the department Donna worked in. Alice hadn't visited her sister's office before as she's been too busy with her studies into becoming a Doctor. They followed after him to a computer.

"This might just be locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty-three years ago by the Torchwood Institute."

Alice thinks she's heard or seen that name somewhere before, but can't remove for the life of her where, so she might as well ask instead "Who's Torchwood?"

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf," the Doctor informed the young redhead woman and her sister who both stared back blankly at him, "...Cyberman invasion," the younger frowned and the older tilted her head in confusion, "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, we were in Spain," Donna responded, as Alice nodded recalling going there during her break from University with her family.

"They had Cybermen in Spain."

"We were out scuba diving," the young Noble told him simply.

"That big picture, Donna -- you keep on missing it," he goes to another computer, "Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over," he tried to explain giving the monitor a whack, but it doesn't do anything, "The operation."

"But what do they want with me?"

Stepping away he turned to give Donna his full attention, looking straight into he questioning eyes, "Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS."

Alice's frowned at just hearing the word TARDIS wondering what in Gods name that it could be.

"See? That's what happened. Say... that's the TARDIS," the Doctor grabbed a mug from nearby now showing Donna, "And that's you," he now gets a pencil with his other hand and showed her, "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and WHAP!" he suddenly shouts making the sisters jump as he dropped throws the pencil inside the mug, "You were pulled inside the TARDIS."

"Hang on a second, you're not an alien are you?" Alice slowly began to ask, as the Doctor now looked at the young woman. Off from the look in his brown eyes gave her the answer she wanted without him even having to say it and with that, she just nodded, "Okay...uh, we've got that out the way. Also another thing," she takes the mug from him her fingers accidentally grazing his hand, waving it about before him, "Why telling are you telling my sister she's a pencil in a mug?"

"Yes, a 4H pencil, pretty much sums her up."

Alice scoffed putting down the mug and shaking her head, "My you must be a right charmer when comes to the ladies Doctor," she offered ironically.

He stared at the young woman with his mouth slightly ajar before shaking the insult off and continued by changing the subject, "Lance?" the Doctor turned to ask the man, "What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel," Lance returned getting all defensive, Alice could say he probably took it a bit too personal for her liking, "I wasn't project manager."

But the Doctor had seemed to just ignore it as he held the silver thing that Alice had seen earlier on, aiming at the monitor and made the display instantly appear to whatever he was in search of. Which were 3D plans of the building. But Alice couldn't help but be curious and have a closer look at it.

"What is that thing you're using?" Alice nodded to the sliver object in the Doctor's hand.

"It's called a sonic screwdriver," he responded with a grin, flipping it up in the air and then catching it.

She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Who are you trying to impress with that exactly?" he only but responded with a shrug, turning back to the computer, it was rather entertaining for Alice as she watched him.

"Why am I even explaining myself?" Lance asked as he paces behind the sisters and the Doctor. This made Alice roll her eyes, "What the hell are we talking about?"

"They make keys, that's the point. And look at this..." the Doctor pointed at the screen as they all gathered around him "...we're on the third floor."

**-Doctor Who-**

To say Alice was a patient person you'd be wrong as she tapped her heeled shoes against the floor as they waited for the lift to show up. Another thing she also hated was waiting.

"Where's this lift supposed to be taking us?" she asked the Doctor out of interest.

"Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" he replied, directing the question to either Lance or Donna. The lift had now arrived and the doors pinged open and the stepped inside and inspects the controls, "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'?"

"Oh, come on that's easy!" Alice voiced loudly, making her sister and Lance jump and the Doctor stare back at her. Without even bothering if the Doctor gave her any indication, "It's like in one of those spy movies where they have to press a mysterious button that takes them to a secret hidden floor. Am I right Doc?"

"Uh..." he was a little stunned by this at first before shaking his head and continuing, "Okay, as I was saying there's a secret floor."

"I love it when I'm right," Alice offered with a smug grin, "I'm exceptionally clever you see," she tapped her temple, as Donna rolled her eyes for her little sister showing off, "So if there's a whole secret floor. Why isn't it on the plans?"

The Doctor did nothing but stare at her for a few seconds before agreeing with a nod, "I didn't see it on the official plans," he turned back to frown at the buttons, "So what's down there, then?"

"Maybe there's a reason why it's called a secret floor," Alice offered with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance inquires and Alice looked at him as if to say 'is this guy being serious or what?'

"No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor," the Doctor looked at him, in the same manner, she just had.

"It needs a key," Donna pointed out.

"I don't," the Doctor shrugged without care and pointed his sonic at the lock, "Right then, thanks you three, I can handle this -- see you later."

"No chance, Martian," Donna tells him rather sternly, "You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight," she gets in the lift with him.

"And wherever my sister goes I go," Alice adds, joining them inside the lift with a smile standing between them both, sliding her arms into theirs.

"Going down," the Doctor offered with a sigh and pressed the button.

"Lance?" Donna asked her fiancé pointedly.

"Maybe I should go to the police."

"Inside."

The was about to protest but didn't get the chance to as he peered down at the floor and meekly dragged his feet inside the lift to stand beside Donna.

"To honour and obey?" the Doctor tells Lance.

"Tell me about it, mate."

"Oi!" Donna glared at the Doctor, just as Alice goes to give him a hard slap on the arm.

"Ow!" he moaned wincing from pain, "Why did you hit me for?" he glanced over at the young Noble rather taken aback for having been hit by her.

Just as the lift doors closed with, she replied nonchalantly with a shrug, "Not sure. Maybe because I felt like you deserved it."

"That's Ally for you Doctor," Donna tried her best to burst out laughing, "Right little firecracker she is."


	3. (2) The Runaway Bride

The reception was now back in full motion again, Alice smiled with joy as she watched her older sister, who was currently on the dance floor and with Lance. Her eyes began to wander over to the bar catching a glimpse of the mysterious man who called himself 'the Doctor' who had shown up with Donna earlier. He also seemed to be interested in her big sister for a moment. Alice just couldn't make the man out, well he was a little strange of course but not in a bad way. He didn't look harmful, yet there was just something else nagging at her about him, but for the life of her she couldn't figure it out. Yet she saw something in those eyes, that he's suffered a lot in his life. They made him look a lot wiser for a man his age, a man that has witnessed too much, which made Alice's heart go out to him a little.

With Alice still gazing at the man, who even hadn't noticed somebody was watching him, which is something she's thankful for not being caught out just yet. Which wasn't that surprising to hear he hadn't really. Because her staring at was him was apparent, and she continued to do so. As he now asked a man beside him if he could borrow his mobile phone, they give it to him, and he slides on a pair of square-framed glasses that made him look a lot more attractive, or Alice could even say a little foxy. 'For goodness sake girl control yourself,' Alice thought and shook her head, as she sees him browsing through the mobile.

Now finally finished, he gave the phone back to its owner and now just realised somebody's eyes were on him, the eyes of a young woman with flaming red intricately done up hair. When a person gets typically caught staring at another person, the reaction would be to blush with embarrassment usually. Still, this young woman was facing him head-on with determination, not breaking eye contact as she offered a friendly smile.

Only for him to return it rather forcefully. It instantly dissolving from his features soon as he turned away and replaced with sadness. Alice followed the trail of his eyes to a dark-haired man and a blonde woman dancing, she's thrown backwards slightly over the man's arm. With a harsh swallow becoming much more unhappy than he already was, hurriedly turned away.

Before she knew it Alice's legs were guiding her towards him, "I'm going to tell you a few things," she now leaned against the bar beside him, with a rather misleading grin, "The whole point of a party is to let your hair down and have some fun and not look like they've got the weight of the entire world on their shoulders."

He looked back at her complete lost for words on how to respond to her.

"But, I'm not going to judge you for it," she casually responded with a small shrug, "Some people like to party and some people don't, well in your case maybe it's something you're not bothered about. So, maybe it wouldn't kill you, to try and pretend that you're enjoying yourself for Donna's sake she's your friend after all ."

"She's not my friend," he returned a little more bitterly than he meant to. Yet the way she was looking at him it was like she's just received the best news of her life today.

With another harsh swallow, he turned away wanting to ignore her. As he catches sight of a man with a camcorder in the corner of the room, filming the wedding reception.

"Finally he speaks!" she laughed, noticing the look on his face.

"Uh...well," he cleared his throat awkwardly, before continuing to speak, "I've only just met Donna quite recently."

"So can I ask is 'the Doctor' your actual proper name?" she asked with air quotes.

"Yes, it is."

"Oh, come on you can't be serious?"

"That's my name end of discussion," he bit back moodily.

"Hey, alright no need to get all defensive," the young redhead retorted, her eyes narrowing into slits, "Whatever personal issues you're dealing with right now, don't start taking them out on somebody you've just met."

"Sorry," he responded with a slight flinch.

Her emotional state changed with a flick of a switch, now offering a beaming smile, "I'm Alice by the way," she held out her hand but he stared back with a rather uncertain expression, "Alice Noble, the bride's sister...of course. Most people call me Ally, but I'm not bothered either way," but he just continued staring at her hand, "Ya know when somebody offers their hand, you're supposed to shake it. My hands are clean so don't worry about germs or anything.

With a shake of his head, a look of embarrassment spread across his features as he gave the young woman's hand a shake. Quickly letting, he gazed at the redhead for a couple of seconds before muttering, "Uh, excuse me."

Alice watched him wondering towards the cameraman. That made her question what the Doctor was doing over there. But with a shrug of her shoulders, there was not a much younger man around her age now attending the bar with a flirtatious smile she ordered another fruity cocktail. Now having been served her drink, Alice took a long sip savouring the taste, once downing it completely and putting it down.

"Thanks, handsome," she thanks him with a playful smile. He returned the smile in she offered an amorous wink back. After that, she went in search of her older sister, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"Really again?!" Alice asked with a sigh of disbelief. Then spotting her mum to ask if she'd seen her big sis, "Mum, do you know where Donna has got to?"

"The last time was when she was dancing with Lance," she replied before leaning in to have a whiff of the alcohol on her youngest daughters breath, "Are you drunk young lady?"

"God, mum! I'm a grown woman I can drink as much as I want it's a party."

"Well don't drink too much more you know what happened last Christmas you were hungover in bed all day and had your Christmas dinner in bed."

"You're a real help sometimes mum," the young woman returned sarcastically.

"Of course dear," she gives her daughters cheek a loving pat with her hand not having noticed the manner of her response. Made Alice sometimes wonder if she was their daughter.

Suddenly the Doctor came bursting through the crowd, shouting, "Get away from the tree!"

Donna comes dashing in after him shouting as well, "Don't touch the trees!"

Alice began to frown trying to understand what the hell was going on.

"Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!" the Doctor insisted as he continued to shout at everyone, trying his best to move the crowd away.

Alice went to approach her sister, "Donna what the hell is going on?"

"No time to answer that right now. Just try and get people away from the Christmas trees!" Donna pleaded to her little sister, who saw the fear in her sister's eyes as her hand firmly grasped her arm.

Even though she still didn't have the foggiest what was going on, she could understand her sister's frightened expression so with a quick nod Alice insisted she help her.

"Thanks, sis!" she dragged Alice towards a group of little children and help her move them away from a Christmas tree, "Oi, Lance don't just stand there!" Donna screamed at her fiancé, "Tell everyone to get away from the trees!"

"Stay away from the trees!" Alice heard the Doctor yelling once again.

She could practically hear her mother babbling on in utter frustration about the strange man in question, "Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot! Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna..." at that moment her voice trailed off in surprise, "oh!"

Alice didn't know if what her eyes were seeing is real or just a figment of her drunken stupor. Trying to find it in her disbelief that the baubles from the Christmas trees were dancing about.

The whole room began to chatter excitedly, before suddenly diving around the room and making tiny explosions.

"Fuck!" Alice cursed under her breath, throwing herself to the floor, narrowly missing one that almost got her.

"Ally! Ally where are you?!" she hears Donna screaming frantically for her, the young woman popped her head up to witness her older sister and Lance hiding beneath a table from protection of the small explosions.

Everyone chatters excitedly until they start dive-bombing around the room and causing small explosions. Everyone starts screaming and running for cover. Donna pulls Lance down to hide under a table with her. The Doctor runs over to the DJ's stand. The Santas are lined up opposite. Now having seen Alice she gestured for her to join her and Lance. Charging over, she catches the Doctor out the corner of her eye running towards DJ booth. Finally reaching them she sat squashed between them both Donna holds onto Alice like a vice.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" the young Noble shouted over the explosions only to get interrupted by the Doctor before her sister could even reply.

"Oi! Santa! Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver..." he spoke through a microphone, "...don't let him near the sound system."

She sees him pointing a small silver stick in his hand with blue shining light on its end and holds it against the amplifiers, emitting the most horrendous screeching noise-making everyone covers their ears. It suddenly stops and Alice gets pulled up onto her feet by Donna who keeps a tight hold on her hand.

Glancing about the room, Alice sees everyone now getting to their feet. Donna has now let go of her sister's hand, went to assist two children called Connie and Michael, the young redhead stormed towards the Doctor, who she finds gathering things from the strange-looking Santa's that had blown to pieces.

"You are going to tell me what the hell is going on?!" Alice firmly insisted, glaring daggers at him with arms folded across her chest. But it seemed he was clearly ignoring her and she snarled quietly to herself. One of Alice's pet peeves was that she hated to be ignored, "Excuse me! It's rude to not answer someone when they're talking to you!" she hollered.

But again she got no response from him and was on the verge of swearing when he finally looked her way and spoke, "Look at that -- remote control for the decorations," that's when she realised it wasn't her he was talking to as Alice followed his gaze towards her older sister letting out a small noise of aggravation. That man was heading for a slap, "But there's a second remote control for the robots," he was examining the head of one, "They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"Never mind all that, you're a doctor -- people have been hurt," Alice and Donna scanned over the room with concern for those who were hurt.

Before the young Noble spoke up, "Sorry but far as I'm concerned you have to earn that title," she glared questionably at him, "But maybe he's not that kind of Doctor."

"Nah, they wanted you alive, look," he threw a bauble at her but she instantly batted it away, sending it back in his direction earning a glare from him in return after avoiding it, "Hey, will you be careful!"

All she did was offer a glare moodily at him, "Oh, I do apologise! Maybe it was because you tried throwing a bomb at my sister!"

"Well, they aren't active now!"

"Then maybe warn somebody next time you do it!"

"Maybe if you let me explain myself then I could have!"

"Oi! Will both of you shut up!"

Alice and the Doctor both almost jumped out of their skins from Donna as both turned in sync to meet her narrowed eyes.

"Sorry, Donna," the two apologised to her.

With a shake of her head, Donna continued, "All I'm saying -- you could help."

But the Doctor wasn't paying the slightest attention holding the robots head against his ear, before muttering to himself loudly, "Gotta think of the bigger picture... there's still a signal!" he suddenly exclaimed almost making Alice jump before he went running off.

Donna about to follow after him gets stopped by her mother, "Donna..." Alice could heat how frightened she was, "Who is he? Who is that man?"

But it seemed Donna couldn't answer it for her as she went chasing after the Doctor as Alice, her mother and Lance stared after her.

Donna doesn't have an answer for her. She follows the Doctor, leaving Sylvia and Lance staring after her.

Alice debated with herself for a moment whether to follow after them or not but if she wanted answers she had to follow them and get those answers. But what annoyed her most was that Lance had followed along with her as well and finally reached the Doctor and her sister just to hear him say, "I've lost the signal - Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started," the Doctor suddenly noticed Lance, turning to ask him, "Lance -- is it Lance? Can you give me a lift?" he darts off before he's even answered. Making Alice think that he likes to do a lot of running about.

She continued to follow after them only for Donna to pull her back by the arm, "Alice, stay here and keep a close watch on mum...you'll be much better off here."

"If you think I'm staying here then you're wrong," Alice insisted sternly, "And you can't convince me to either."

Donna stares at her sister for a moment letting out a sigh of defeat and nodded. The young Noble returned a grin, before both the sisters went following after the Doctor along with Lance. Soon they arrived at HC Clements, darting inside the building and into the department Donna worked in. Alice hadn't visited her sister's office before as she's been too busy with her studies into becoming a Doctor. They followed after him to a computer.

"This might just be locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty-three years ago by the Torchwood Institute."

Alice thinks she's heard or seen that name somewhere before, but can't remove for the life of her where, so she might as well ask instead "Who's Torchwood?"

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf," the Doctor informed the young redhead woman and her sister who both stared back blankly at him, "...Cyberman invasion," the younger frowned and the older tilted her head in confusion, "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, we were in Spain," Donna responded, as Alice nodded recalling going there during her break from University with her family.

"They had Cybermen in Spain."

"We were out scuba diving," the young Noble told him simply.

"That big picture, Donna -- you keep on missing it," he goes to another computer, "Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over," he tried to explain giving the monitor a whack, but it doesn't do anything, "The operation."

"But what do they want with me?"

Stepping away he turned to give Donna his full attention, looking straight into he questioning eyes, "Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS."

Alice's frowned at just hearing the word TARDIS wondering what in Gods name that it could be.

"See? That's what happened. Say... that's the TARDIS," the Doctor grabbed a mug from nearby now showing Donna, "And that's you," he now gets a pencil with his other hand and showed her, "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and WHAP!" he suddenly shouts making the sisters jump as he dropped throws the pencil inside the mug, "You were pulled inside the TARDIS."

"Hang on a second, you're not an alien are you?" Alice slowly began to ask, as the Doctor now looked at the young woman. Off from the look in his brown eyes gave her the answer she wanted without him even having to say it and with that, she just nodded, "Okay...uh, we've got that out the way. Also another thing," she takes the mug from him her fingers accidentally grazing his hand, waving it about before him, "Why telling are you telling my sister she's a pencil in a mug?"

"Yes, a 4H pencil, pretty much sums her up."

Alice scoffed putting down the mug and shaking her head, "My you must be a right charmer when comes to the ladies Doctor," she offered ironically.

He stared at the young woman with his mouth slightly ajar before shaking the insult off and continued by changing the subject, "Lance?" the Doctor turned to ask the man, "What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel," Lance returned getting all defensive, Alice could say he probably took it a bit too personal for her liking, "I wasn't project manager."

But the Doctor had seemed to just ignore it as he held the silver thing that Alice had seen earlier on, aiming at the monitor and made the display instantly appear to whatever he was in search of. Which were 3D plans of the building. But Alice couldn't help but be curious and have a closer look at it.

"What is that thing you're using?" Alice nodded to the sliver object in the Doctor's hand.

"It's called a sonic screwdriver," he responded with a grin, flipping it up in the air and then catching it.

She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Who are you trying to impress with that exactly?" he only but responded with a shrug, turning back to the computer, it was rather entertaining for Alice as she watched him.

"Why am I even explaining myself?" Lance asked as he paces behind the sisters and the Doctor. This made Alice roll her eyes, "What the hell are we talking about?"

"They make keys, that's the point. And look at this..." the Doctor pointed at the screen as they all gathered around him "...we're on the third floor."

-Doctor Who-

To say Alice was a patient person you'd be wrong as she tapped her heeled shoes against the floor as they waited for the lift to show up. Another thing she also hated was waiting.

"Where's this lift supposed to be taking us?" she asked the Doctor out of interest.

"Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" he replied, directing the question to either Lance or Donna. The lift had now arrived and the doors pinged open and the stepped inside and inspects the controls, "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'?"

"Oh, come on that's easy!" Alice voiced loudly, making her sister and Lance jump and the Doctor stare back at her. Without even bothering if the Doctor gave her any indication, "It's like in one of those spy movies where they have to press a mysterious button that takes them to a secret hidden floor. Am I right Doc?"

"Uh..." he was a little stunned by this at first before shaking his head and continuing, "Okay, as I was saying there's a secret floor."

"I love it when I'm right," Alice offered with a smug grin, "I'm exceptionally clever you see," she tapped her temple, as Donna rolled her eyes for her little sister showing off, "So if there's a whole secret floor. Why isn't it on the plans?"

The Doctor did nothing but stare at her for a few seconds before agreeing with a nod, "I didn't see it on the official plans," he turned back to frown at the buttons, "So what's down there, then?"

"Maybe there's a reason why it's called a secret floor," Alice offered with a roll of her eyes.

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance inquires and Alice looked at him as if to say 'is this guy being serious or what?'

"No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor," the Doctor looked at him, in the same manner, she just had.

"It needs a key," Donna pointed out.

"I don't," the Doctor shrugged without care and pointed his sonic at the lock, "Right then, thanks you three, I can handle this -- see you later."

"No chance, Martian," Donna tells him rather sternly, "You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight," she gets in the lift with him.

"And wherever my sister goes I go," Alice adds, joining them inside the lift with a smile standing between them both, sliding her arms into theirs.

"Going down," the Doctor offered with a sigh and pressed the button.

"Lance?" Donna asked her fiancé pointedly.

"Maybe I should go to the police."

"Inside."

The was about to protest but didn't get the chance to as he peered down at the floor and meekly dragged his feet inside the lift to stand beside Donna.

"To honour and obey?" the Doctor tells Lance.

"Tell me about it, mate."

"Oi!" Donna glared at the Doctor, just as Alice goes to give him a hard slap on the arm.

"Ow!" he moaned wincing from pain, "Why did you hit me for?" he glanced over at the young Noble rather taken aback for having been hit by her.

Just as the lift doors closed with, she replied nonchalantly with a shrug, "Not sure. Maybe because I felt like you deserved it."

"That's Ally for you Doctor," Donna tried her best to burst out laughing, "Right little firecracker she is."


	4. (3) The Runaway Bride

The ride down in the lift was utterly silent except for the impatient tapping of Alice's foot. Once the lift finally arrived the doors opened with a ping, they all exit the lift into a long, dark and dank looking corridor, dimly lit with eerie green lights. Shivering Alice gives her arms a rub, before folding her arms across her chest, her eyes glancing around her as Donna began to speak

"Where are we?" the older Noble asked, but not getting an answer decided to continue, "Well, what goes on down here?"

"Let's find out..."

"Do you think Mr Clements knows about this place?"

"The mysterious H C Clements?"

"Well, who else would it be," the young redhead offered sarcastically.

But the Doctor just decides to ignore her, "I think he's part of it," glancing away from her just as something catches his eye, "Oh, look -- transport."

A few moments later, all of them trundled down the corridor on electric scooters. The problem was there had only been three scooters, with Alice ending up hitching a ride with the Doctor. She had insisted on wanting to go with her sister, only for Donna to insist she go with the Doctor but Alice could never understand the reason behind it.

The whole thing was comical really, and both sisters shared a look probably thinking it was as well and started laughing loudly together. Not long after the Doctor had joined in with them, just finding it equally as funny. It was only Lance that didn't seem to get it at all.

They come to a stop at a door which reads: 'Torchwood – authorised personnel only.'

So all nature of things they abandoned the scooters as Alice brushed off a little dirt from her blue dress whilst the Doctor turned a wheel to open a door revealing a ladder, and he peers up it.

"Wait here," he told them, "Just need to get my bearings. Don't..." he points sternly at them "...do anything," the Doctor disappeared up the ladder.

"You'd better come back," Donna hollered after him.

Stopping, Alice sees him offer Donna a teasing grin, "I couldn't get rid of you if I tried."

With that, Donna returned a smile, and all three watched him continue to climb up the ladder.

"Donna..." Lance began, "Have you thought about this? Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we going to do??"

"Oh, I thought July," Donna replied, not having heard him, beaming away at Lance before returning her attention on the Doctor.

The young Noble willed herself not to laugh, after seeing the look on Lance's face. But it wasn't a long before the Doctor returned as he hopped off the ladders last rung.

"Thames flood barrier! Right on top of us,"

he informed them, "Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"So exactly like in the movies," Alice offered with some enthusiasm.

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark??"

"I know! Unheard of," he returned sarcastically to Donna, making Alice laugh a little.

They now entered into a laboratory of sorts, from what Alice could see as her eyes widen in surprise, it was full of many test tubes with strange liquid boiling away inside them and some chemistry equipment as well. Because not only did this place have a hidden floor, but also had a secret laboratory to boot! She was honestly in her element right now! Alice's looking around with pure utter joy, eyes wandering about the things in the room around her.

"Oh, look at this!" the Time Lord, tells them, as his eyes too glanced around the room with wonder, "Stunning! Particle extrusion!"

"What does it do?" Donna questioned him.

"Particle extrusion. Hold on..." he goes darting over to one of the many bubbling tubes and gives it a tap, "Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. In case my people got rid of Huons, they unravelled the atomic structure."

"Your people?" Lance asked him with a frown, "Who are they? What company do you represent?"

"Oh, I'm a freelancer," the Doctor responded offhandedly with a shrug, still looking at the tubes, "But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base, so they've got the result -- Huon particles in liquid form," he grabbed a small test tube that Alice could only guess had 'Huon particles,' lifting it to show them.

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna asks, nodding at the tube in his hand.

Ever so gently, he turns the knob at the top the test tube, making the contents within being to glow gold. Alice noticing that it was the same thing that had happened to her sister, as she now glowed with it also.

"Oh, my God!" Donna exclaims, taking a look at what is happening to her.

Once he had finished turning the knob and Donna returned to normal. When all Alice couldn't help but tightly hold her sister's hand, suddenly fearing that her life was in grave danger. Because it had dawned on Alice that if this stuff was inside of Donna, what harm will it cause her? She recalls what the Doctor had said about his people being able to get rid of the Huon particles, but it only leaves her questioning...how or why? That was just left hovering over her. Suddenly she clicked back into reality and out of her thoughts back to hearing the Doctor speaking once again.

"Because the particles are inert -- they need something living to catalyse inside, and that's you. Saturate the body and then... HA!" both of the sisters jump from his sudden burst of mad enthusiasm. Alice could only but glare daggers at him. He needed to stop doing that as she would give him another smack because what's happening to her sister right now isn't something to be excited over. Because it wasn't exciting but bloody terrifying and here was the Doctor ranting on about it joyously, "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle -- oh, your body's a battleground!" he now gestured to Donna, "There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, WHAM go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven! A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away, the particles reach boiling point, SHAZAM!"

At that moment Alice had considered wanting to slap him herself, she had been too busy gazing back at him with a look of utter disbelief and with her mouth hanging open having gotten lost in him rambling on at a hundred miles an hour. That Donna had gone ahead and slapped him somewhat hard.

"What did I do this time?" he questioned her indignantly.

Donna responded moodily with a glare, "Are you enjoying this?!"

In that very moment, the Doctor relaxes, Alice seeing him now looking somewhat ashamed instead of him being excited. The young Noble couldn't help but wince as Donna approached him, her sister's breathing was heavy and distressed, that it also could be seen as clearly on her features.

"Right, just tell me - these particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

"Yes!" the Time Lord burst out in response rather unconvincingly.

But Alice could tell he was lying. In doing so, she stepped forwards so that she now stood beside her big sister and tightly grasped her hand before looking the Doctor directly in the eye, as she now spoke to him.

"Please, Doctor?" She insisted calmly, "If your lot got rid of those particles...how?" she sees hesitation in his eyes, "How did they do it?"

"Because they were deadly," he finally offered in a gentle manner which only made Alice's hand tighten on her sister's.

"Oh, my God..." Donna let out with a breath.

"I'll sort it out, Donna," the Doctor assured, his tone now more severe, "Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it."

"Then promise me?" Alice asked, feeling tears brimming her eyes. Just the very thought of losing her sister was something that she always dreaded the most, "Promise me she'll be okay?"

His brown eyes now met Alice's misty green holding her gaze, "Alice, I promise you she'll be okay. Because I'm not about to lose someone else."

But before Alice had the chance to ask who this other person had been that he had lost, a loud series of bangs and crashes started echoing from all around them. Suddenly a voice filled the air as the noises continued

"Oh, she is long since lost."

A wall now comes sliding upwards to reveal a secret chamber inside with an enormous circular hole in the floor. Alice's eyes widen at what's before her, leaving her lost for words.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe..."

Seeing as the Doctor, Alice and Donna were somewhat too distracted by the voice, none of them had noticed Lance escaping through the door.

"...until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"

All around the chamber walls are lined with robots wearing black hoods.

The Doctor wondered over towards the hole, only for Alice to grasp him by the arm and pull him away, "Where are you going?" she asked him with wide eyes.

"What, I'm just having a nose at it that's all," he yanked his arm out of the young woman's hold and went over to the, peering down into its never-ending darkness, "Someone's been digging... oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?"

"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!"

"Really? Seriously?" he asked with disbelief, "What for?"

Donna goes shuffling forwards slightly whilst Alice continued to watch on, "Dinosaurs," she offered in suggestion.

The Doctor turned to her, furrowing his eyebrows, "What?"

"Dinosaurs?"

He furrowed his eyebrows a little deeper, "What are you on about, dinosaurs?"

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help!"

"That's not helping."

"Such a sweet couple."

"Them two?! A couple?!" Alice exclaimed with a scoff. Her sister and the Time Lord went to turn in her direction, "I'm sorry, but my sister wouldn't be interested in a twig in a suit. He's not exactly her type," she went on, glancing in the Doctor's noting the expression on his face, "Not that I mean it like that. But it's the truth."

But he didn't even bother even to respond and started to use that voice which drove her up the wall, "Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, and you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night."

Alice could tell how annoyed he started moving about, "I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom! Come on, let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you with such command?" the voice boomed in demand.

"I'm the Doctor!"

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man," Alice rolled her eyes with disbelief, thinking she could probably have come up with something a little more threatening than that, "For you will be sick at heart," in the blink of an eye, a massive red spider appears within the room snarling and growling.

Alice cowers slightly letting out small cry distress, her grasp like a vice on her sister's hand. Spiders, they just her the absolute creeps!

"The Racnoss..." the Time Lord voiced in pure amazement, "But that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss!"

"Empress of the Racnoss."

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or... are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind," the Empress hissed displeasingly.

The young redhead breathed out with a sigh of relief. Of course, she felt terrible that the Empress was the last of her kind, which was a good thing. Because who would want any more of those spiders scurrying around. At that very thought, Alice felt a cold tingling journey up her spine and shivered a little.

"That's it, the last of your kind," the Doctor glanced at the Racnoss for a moment, before looking to the sisters to tell them, "The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets."

Alice voiced her disgust, "Erugh!"

"Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?" the Empress asked with a growl.

"They eat people?" Donna inquired, looking over to the Doctor.

"H C Clements, did he wear those-- those erm, black and white shoes?"

"Yeah, Donna told me about him once," Alice responded, her sister having told her about the ever famous HC Clements, she looked to her sister, "What did you and the others call him?"

Donna now let a small laugh and smiled, "We used to call him the fat cat in spats."

"Oh, now I remember," Alice recalled also laughing, remembering how she'd doubled over in hysterics on the phone and fell off the sofa's arm. It almost had her roommate Martha worried. But another thought came to her, as she turned to ask the Doctor, "But how has that got to do with anything?"

He pointed and nodded his head towards the ceiling, in the corner was a web and attached to that web, Alice noticed a pair of black and white shoes still attached to who must be the recently deceased HC Clements only just poking out.

"Oh, my God!" the sisters exclaimed with shock.

"Mm, my Christmas dinner,"the Empress cackled.

"You shouldn't even exist!" the Time Lord exclaimed, as Alice bit her tongue holding back a witty retort, "Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss...they were wiped out."

Alice now catches Lance stood upon the balcony above the Racnoss unbeknown to her. Wondering when on Earth he had gotten up there. It seemed Donna had caught on as well and Lance motioned for them to stay quiet

"Except for me."

So in a bid to distract the Empress for Lance, Donna began to speak up, "But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing," yet the alien wasn't paying no attention to her, "Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles?"

Lance descended the stairs, axe in hand and at the ready as Donna continued trying to gain the Empresses attention, "Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me."

"The bride is so feisty!" the Empress implied glancing at Donna.

"Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big... thing," Alice frowned at her sister, "But a spider's just a spider, and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!"

Lance takes a swing with the axe, for only the Empress to hiss at the final moment. Alice didn't expect what would happen next. That Lance had bow stopped, glancing towards Donna before suddenly bursting out laughing along with the Empress.

Alice's mouth was now hanging open with utter disbelief and glared at Lance. Because what she was feeling towards him right now, was nothing but pure anger and betrayal.

"That was a good one," Lance looked to the Empress still laughing, "Your face!"

"Lance is funny!" she agreed, cackling along.

"What?" Donna narrowed her eyes at her fiancé in confusion.

"Can somebody please explain what the hell is going on?" Alice demanded, hands coming up in frustration.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor offered quietly to Donna who

turned to him.

"Sorry for what?" Donna whirled back around as if trying to tell herself it wasn't true and demanded, "Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!"

Alice could see pity in Lance's eyes as her sister exchanged glances with him, but it wasn't that of concern only carelessness. She clenched her hands into tight fists, knuckles beginning to turn white, "God, she's thick," Lance sneered at Donna.

But Donna was still completely and utterly lost about what was happening. Yet it only angered the young redhead more, because nobody has the right to speak like her big sister like filth. Did he have a death wish or something? But the very thought just confused her even more. Alice knew there was nothing extraordinary about being irritated and confused, especially with being a redhead.

"Months I had to put up with her," Lance began complaining, "Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

"I don't understand," Donna slowly began uncomprehendingly.

"How did you meet him?" the Time Lord asked silently with interest.

"In the office."

"He made you coffee."

"What?"

"Oh, will you just spit it out, Doctor!" Alice seethed, "What does this all mean?"

He stared back at the young redhead woman who only but returned it. Before he began to explain, "That...your sister was dosed with the particles over six months for it to take effect."

"So essentially he's been poisoning my sister," the Doctor's silence was his answer, and Alice growls, eyes aglow with nothing but murderous intent as she went charging towards Lance, "You asshole! You complete, utter fucking moron! I'll bloody kill you!"

She was about to pounce on the very place he stood and beat him senseless but what didn't help her was the evil smirk painted across Lance's face. Suddenly arms wrapped Alice's waist only to realise it was the Doctor who had yanked her away. She forced his hands off her and glared daggers into him, only for the Time Lord not paying the slightest attention to her, but now on Lance instead. Alice now sees darkness come across his features.

"It was all there in the job title -- the Head of Human Resources."

"This time, it's personnel," Lance joked, he and the Empress laughed together.

"But... we were getting married," Donna uttered quietly, wholly heartbroken and Alice couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle," Lance rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap... 'oh, Brad and Angelina, is Posh pregnant?' X-Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me, dear God, the never-ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia."

Alice's heart clenches again off from the heartbroken look on Donna's face.

Donna listens to this torrent of abuse with an expression of increasing hurt and confusion. She was right about the feelings she had about Lance all along. Nothing but a slimy snake that she wanted to strangle the life out of.

"I deserve a medal."

"Oh, is that what she's offered you? The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you? Her consort?"

Alice wrinkled her nose up in disgust at the Doctors comment.

Just as Lance now gave a shrug and points to Donna, "It's better than a night with her."

"But I love you," Donna voiced with sorrow, the younger Noble seeing tears now forming in her sister's eyes. But this was her big sister, who always kept her tears at bay, but Alice could tell she was going to crack at any given moment.

"That's what made it easy," Lance went on scathingly. His attention now on the Doctor, who just glared back, his expression unreadable to Alice, "It's like you said, Doctor...the big picture...what's the point of it all if the Human Race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to... go out there. To see it. The size of it all," Lance stares the Time Lord right in eyes, "I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?"

Alice could see it plainly across the Doctor's face, that he understood. Recalling something she had seen in those eyes, they were the eyes of a man who's witnessed too much pain and anguish in his life. She could now see it clearly on his face as a confirmation.

"Who is this little physician?" the Empress asked of Lance.

"What she said -- Martian."

"Oh, I'm sort of... homeless," the Time Lord quickly alters the subject, moving a step closer, "But the point is, what's down here?" he peered down at the hole in the floor, "The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk," Lance informed the Empress.

"I think so too."

"You don't say?" the young redhead offered with sarcastic awe, hand on her cheek, "What made you think of that?"

Lance darts an aggravated look Alice's way only for her to plaster on the biggest put on a smile in return.

"Well, tough!" Lance shouted, "All we need is Donna!"

The young woman pulled Donna behind her, sending nothing but deathly glares at Lance, "Go to hell, you bastard! Because you're not laying another finger on my sister!"

Only this gets ignored over the Empress's yelling, "Kill this chattering little doctor-man!"

Donna went to stand in front of the Doctor, even though she was feeling terrified, "Don't you hurt him!"

"No, no, it's all right," the Time Lord insisted.

But Donna denied him this still feeling nothing but frightened, shaking her head, "No, I won't let them!"

"Then neither will I," Alice consented, coming to also stand in front of the Doctor and squeezed Donna's hand who returned it in response.

"At arms!" the Empress commanded.

The robots aimed their guns at the Doctor.

"Ah, now," the Time Lord began to say, "Except."

"Take aim!"

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious-"

"They won't hit the bride," the Empress glanced in Alice's direction, "Or the mouthy one. They're such very good shots."

"Mouthy?!" the young Noble voiced with aggravation, as this only gets ignored by the Time Lord as he tried his best in continuing to distract the Empress.

"Just-just-just-hold on, just a tick, just a tiny-just a little-tick," the Doctor held up his finger, "If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So, reverse it... the spaceship comes to her," taking out a tube of Huon particles from his trouser pocket gave the top a slight twist causing the particles inside began glowing and Donna as well.

Suddenly Alice's now wide eyes darted with uncertainty as something began materialising around them, "What the..." the young woman uttered when the Empress orders the robots.

"Fire!"

They began shooting laser blasts at them, and Alice scrunched her eyes firmly shut bracing herself for impact...only that nothing happened at all. Her eyes snapped back open as she found herself in a relatively spacious room of sorts. The place was massive! But at the same time, she found it truly incredible. But she didn't have enough time to absorb it all when the Time Lord exclaimed.

"Off we go!"

Alice watched him darting off towards something that stood within the centre of the room, just as she asked, still trying to take everything in, "Where are we?" seeing the Doctor running about wildly, touched buttons and gizmos and the thing in the centre only for it to hit that it was a console of sorts.

"Welcome to the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," he gives the young woman a quick introduction to ship because he knew it was a lot for someone to take in all at once and noticed that Alice was taking it much better than he expected her to.

As he now quickly turned his attention back towards Donna, "Right, Donna...remember what I had said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're going to use it."

The young Noble's eyes widened at hearing the word 'time machine,' in which this was! Honestly, after the day she's been having this wasn't as shocking like it should've been because how was anything else going to top it after this.

That's when she had noticed that her sister hadn't uttered much of word. To see that Donna was almost shivering like a leaf. Suddenly, dashing over towards her to see her sister crying, pulling Donna into a hug. She returned the hug and began sobbing into Alice's shoulder, but the Doctor was utterly oblivious from rambling to take note of the woman's torment.

"We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Alice, Donna-we're going further back than I've ever been before."

In that very moment, he stopped talking to take in the scene of Alice gently rubbing her old sister's back as she cried into her shoulder, the young woman's hazel-brown eyes glanced up at him.

"She'll be alright," she uttered silently to him before returning her attention to her sister.

It took a couple of moments longer, but Donna had since regrouped herself, and the ship had since stopped moving and had arrived at its destination.

"You know...all that stuff Lance said wasn't true," Alice offered calmly, wrapping a reassuring arm around Donna's shoulders. The older woman only but took a sniff but didn't utter a word.

"We've arrived..." the Time Lord implied, poking his head around the console watching the sisters as they now both to peer back at him before continuing to ask, "Want to see?" Alice could see a glint of excitement in his eyes, and she couldn't help but feel overjoyed for what he was about to show her and Donna.

"Yeah," the young woman agreed with happiness.

"I s'pose," Donna offered unenthusiastically.

The Doctor swings the monitor around for them to see. Alice wandered over to have a look at the screen. But it was way too small that hardly anything could be seen, leaving the young woman feeling somewhat deflated.

"Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your Donna's best."

"And what would that be?" Alice asked with raised eyebrows.

He grinned back at her, "This," he goes to approach the doors waiting on the sister as he gazed back at them, "Come on."

Alice is being the eager one was first to head over, followed by Donna, who took her time coming to join them. Once all three of them are together, the Time Lord began to speak, "No human's ever seen this. You'll be the first."

"All I want to see is my bed," Donna responded with a depressing sigh.

"Come on!" Alice gestured towards the doors with excitement.

Not wasting another moment longer he took hold of the handles, "Donna and Alice Noble -welcome to the creation of the Earth," he swung open the doors and the young Noble couldn't help but gasp at the most spectacular sight that greeted her very eyes, Donna, on the other hand, was left completely gobsmacked. The sun was shining brightly through clouds of stunningly beautiful coloured dust and rocking of various sizes floated around them.

"Oh, wow!" Alice offered mesmerised, "This is just...it's beautiful. Don't you think sis?"

Donna only but responded with a nod, clearly just as flabbergasted as her little sister.

"We've gone back 4.6 billion years," the Doctor tells them softly, glancing briefly at Alice for a moment as she smiled in awe and her eyes sparkling with delight, knowing he's ignited something within her that can never be put out. That sense of adventure and wonder she'd probably want to discover more of, but he knew it'd be too soon to even ask the sisters to join him because his hearts weren't ready for that when he's only just lost, Rose.

With a shake of his head, the Doctor continued to speak gazing out amongst the sight with the Noble sisters, "There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas," he points out to them, not seeing Alice's eyes watching his finger as it moves.

"That's the sun isn't it?" the young woman asked, glancing in his direction.

"Yes, that's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn."

"This is just incredible," Alice muttered, "That we've travelled this far back in time."

"It's brilliant don't you think?" the Doctor grinned at the young woman.

She now laughed, smiling back at him, "It's beyond brilliant," they just stood there, grinning at one another.

That's until Donna cleared her throat from behind them she didn't want to interrupt this happy moment between her sister and the Doctor, that's if was one but it seemed to her they were finally starting to get along with each other.

"Where's the Earth though?" Donna now asked with a frown

"All around us... in the dust."

"Puts the wedding in perspective," she offered with a defeated sigh, "Lance was right. We're just... tiny."

"No, but that's what you do," the Time Lord reassured her, with a tiny grin, "The human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."

Alice couldn't help but nod in agreement, as she went to gaze back outside Donna went onto ask, "So, we came out of all this?"

"Yeah we did, because we're incredible," Alice gives her sister a slight nudge and a wink, who let out a small laugh. It had been the first time since they laughed about finding out about Lance's betrayal.

The Doctor watched the sisters fondly with a gentle smile. Just when a massive chunk of rock listlessly floated by the TARDIS.

"I think that's the Isle of Wight," Donna offered with a joke making them all laugh together.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get the..."

"Earth," the sisters completed in unison, they all began laughing again.

"But the question is... what was that first rock?"

Yet but they didn't wait that long to find out the answer. When suddenly a rock shaped like a star emerges through the clouds and dust.

"Look," Donna pointed to it.

"The Racnoss..." the Time Lord whispers. Suddenly, he hurried back towards the console and Alice noticed him spinning a wheel frantically.

"What are you doing?" the young Noble asked with a frown.

Only that he didn't respond to her question as he spoke rather loudly, "Hold on - the Racnoss are hiding from the war! What's it doing?"

Donna was still standing beside the doors looking outside answered for her instead, "Exactly what you said."

The Doctor comes running back towards the doors to take a peek at it for himself, "Oh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth... they became the centre of the Earth. The first rock."

That's when suddenly the TARDIS violently shuddered and everyone almost gets knocked off their feet with Donna immediately pulling her sister protectively into her arms.

"What was that?" the eldest Noble demanded.

"Trouble," the Doctor offered bluntly quickly slamming the doors shut.

"You don't say thanks for pointing that out gen... Ahh!" Alice let's out a fearful scream before she could finish speaking as the TARDIS shuddered and tilted violently once again when the Doctor's catches her in his arms. She lets him keep a tight grasp on her as they struggle to keep balance with the ship still throwing them about.

"What the hell's it doing?!" Donna yelled over all the loud noises.

"Remember that little trick I pulled -- particles pulling particles. It works in reverse -- they're pulling us back!"

"You've got to be joking me," the young redhead uttered to herself just as the Doctor released her from his grasp and ran over towards the console in a desperate attempt to steer the TARDIS, but it was beyond his control.

"Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?" Donna asked him.

"Backseat driver," Alice heard the Doctor mutter, which made her slap him on the arm.

"Seriously, are you always this rude?" she questioned glaring daggers, arms folded across her chest.

"Yeah I am!" he replied, Alice was about to comment on his answer when he suddenly cried out making her jump again, "Oh! Wait a minute!" the Time Lord pulled something out from underneath the console, the object in question looked rather strange and weird-looking to Alice, "The extrapolator!"

"What?" she oddly frowned at him.

"The extrapolator!" he repeated, wiggling before Alice's eyes, "Can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!"

Something that the young has learned from knowing this man just for a couple of hours is to just nod along and make a few interesting noises with the complete utter nonsense that she just doesn't get.

"Now!" the Time Lord gives the extrapolator a whack making the TARDIS jerk slightly and the sisters tightly grip the console to stop themselves from falling over. Awhile later it completely stops, all three now stepping out from the TARDIS where they had started.

That's when Alice takes a proper look at the time machine that's a blue 1930's police box and can't help but admire it, "Wow."

"We're about 200 yards to the right," the Doctor tells them, "Come on!" just him and Donna take off running and Alice is suddenly broken from her trance.

"Hey! Wait for me! I'm in bloody heels!" the young woman goes chasing after them her heels clicking rapidly on the ground. She finally caught up with them and arrived at the door leading up to the Thames Flood Barrier.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked, slightly out of breath.

"I don't know!" he responded with uncertainty, making Alice take a double-take to see him with a stethoscope holding against the door to listen whatever's behind it, "I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history."

"Oh, I bet you have," the young woman comments with a scoff.

"But I still don't understand," Donna talked to him, "I'm full of particles - but what for?"

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck."

Alice was currently too absorbed in what the Doctor was saying that she hadn't noticed her sister being kidnapped by a robot. But that's when she instantly realised something was wrong, but only she was too late as her eyes widen in fear.

"Doctor," she tries getting his attention but it seems he hasn't noticed.

"They've just been in hibernation for billions of years. Frozen. Dead. Kaput! So you're the new key."

"Doctor..."

"Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it...

"Doctor!" Alice screamed at the Doctor making him jump and glance in her direction, "Donna! She's been taken!"

"What?!" the Time Lord whizzed around now having finally noticed. He groaned in frustration running a hand through his hair making it messier than before, "Did you see what took her?" he asked, grabbing Alice tightly by the shoulders.

"Yes, I saw something take her..." Alice began to offer sarcastically before huffing angrily, "I don't bloody know!"

He lets out another groan, letting go of Alice and turned back towards the door. With his sonic he gets the door open, only to be confronted by an armed robot. Both of them immediately take a step back, only for the Time Lord to bump into Alice.

"Ally...please...do as...I tell...you?" he explained to the young redhead as they ever so carefully backed away from the armed robot, which hadn't even attempted to attack them, but in time was eventually going to.

"What?" she gaped at him.

"Get out of here... and get back home..." he insisted.

"But my sister-"

"Alice, I'll save Donna. I promised to you that I'm not going to lose somebody else...so you're going to have to trust me on this."

But for some unknown reason, Alice had her complete trust in him even though she's had known him for only a couple of hours so she did what he asked and started running back home not looking back once.

-*-

Alice didn't know how long she stood outside her house for, not caring if it was cold outside or that she'd get ill, only using the warmth her arms wound around her, waiting for her sister. It'd been hours but Donna still hadn't returned and frankly, it was beginning to worry her. What if the Doctor has broken his promise and her sister is lying dead somewhere. The very thought made her shiver and she shook her head knowing that deep in her heart Donna was still alive.

She could tell her parents were extremely worried about her as well. But the young Noble couldn't bring herself to explain everything that happened. Because she knew it'd only worry them more and probably think she was off her rocker. Only there was probably one person who'd believe her and that was her dear old Gramps.

But despite all her worries, Alice's thoughts couldn't help but wonder to the Doctor as a smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, as if by magic a whirring yet grinding sound filled the air breaking the young woman's thoughts. Ahead of her, she witnessed the blue police box materialise in the middle of the road. The doors opened and out came Donna.

"Donna!" Alice went running towards her, grinning like an idiot pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. Donna returned the hug and laughed at her little sister. The young woman pulling back still grinning from ear to ear.

"They're much better," Alice turned to see the Doctor step outside as well. But it was then without even stopping herself, that she hugged the man. At first, he went stiff as a board, finding it rather awkward because he wasn't expecting it, but he finally managed to relax and returned it.

"Thanks for saving my sister," she tells him breaking their hug.

"No problem," he smiled in at her in return, "But I just need to make sure that the particles are completely gone," not giving her a chance to respond, he grabbed his sonic screwdriver and presses the button, it's tip glowing blue as he scanned it over Donna and once done he smiled at her, "Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine."

"Yeah, but apart from that...I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of."

"Hang on, how did you become a widow? Also what happened to Lance?" The young Noble asked, not that she cared what happened to that slime ball.

"A spider ate him," Donna bluntly replied.

Alice winced, knowing she'd been talking about the Racnoss, "Ergh."

"I couldn't save him," the Doctor offered simply.

"He deserved it," Donna said with a bitter uncaring tone. Only for the Doctor raise his eyebrows at her and instantly her face softened, "No, he didn't," she turned to look at the house, "I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."

"Best Christmas present they could have," the Time Lord mentions as Alice and Donna watched their parents embrace each other, "Oh, no, I forgot - you hate Christmas."

"Yes, I do," the older Noble agreed with a nod, which Alice couldn't blame her sister for.

"Even if it snows?" he goes to tweak a switch on the TARDIS and a ball of light shoots out from the top and explodes like a firework in the midnight sky as snow began sprinkling down all around them. Alice gasped with utter amazement as her sis laughed with pure delight.

"I can't believe you did that!"

The Doctor nonchalantly shrugged as he leant against the TARDIS, "Oh, basic atmospheric excitation," he tells them casually with a grin, them smiling back in return.

"Merry Christmas," both the sisters tell him.

"And you. So... what will you do with yourself now?" he asked looking to Donna.

"Not getting married for starters."

"Oh, God don't tell mum that, she'll have kittens," the younger Noble joked.

"And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno... travel... see a bit more of planet Earth... walk in the dust. Just... go out there and do something."

"Well, you could always..." Alice noticed the hesitation in his voice like he was uncertain whether or not that he was about to do the right thing.

"What?"

"....come with me..." he finally said tentatively, Alice sees a glimmer of hope in his eyes which soon quickly faded once at her sister's response.

"No."

"Okay," he responded rather quickly.

"I can't..."

"No, that's fine," Alice could tell through the bravado of him not caring when in a matter of fact that he probably did.

"No, but really... everything we did today... do you live your life like that?"

"...Not all the time," he said unconvinced.

"I think you do. And I couldn't."

Maybe I could one day... Alice thought to herself but didn't voice it. Because she knew it would be rude to just invite herself along. Besides she had other things to be getting on with, like getting back to her studies into becoming a Doctor one for humans.

"But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful."

What she and Donna had seen today, had been pretty incredible. But why on Earth would her sister turn down the adventure of a lifetime when she knew it had been a dream Donna's to travel off to far places.

"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you were stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. And then you made it snow - I mean, you scare me to death!"

Alice winced at that finding the words pretty harsh and uncalled for. There's a drawn-out silence between them until the Doctor was the one to finally break it.

"Well then."

"Tell you what I will do though - Christmas dinner," off from the look on his face Donna went on, "Oh, come on."

"I don't do that sort of thing."

"You did it last year, you said so. And you might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty."

"Come on Doc, live a little and have dinner with us," the younger Noble added, "I mean what harm can it do."

He began oo-ing and ahh-ing reluctantly, before sighing in defeat, "Oh, all right then," he agrees and Alice's beamed with joy at thought of him having dinner with her family, "But you go first, better warn them. And... don't say I'm a Martian," he gestured towards the TARDIS, "I just have to park her properly, she might drift off to the Middle Ages. I'll see you both in a minute."

"You know that it's just a police box right?" Alice pointed out just as he's about to step inside, trying to keep him here a moment longer. Something tells her that he wouldn't be coming back.

"It's the TARDIS I can't help how she looks."

"Uh, okay," Alice returned a little taken aback, because shrugging, "I just think it's...a lot smaller on the outside that's all."

The Time Lord paused for a moment considering Alice's comment before muttering to himself as he entered the TARDIS, "Now that's something I haven't heard before," he closed the doors shut behind him and the box began fading out of existence. In that very moment, Donna realised he wasn't ever coming back.

"Doctor! Doctor!" she yelled for him.

Suddenly the engines had stopped and the Doctor poked him out the doors, "Blimey, you can shout."

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Alice watched her sister staring back at him.

He returned to the sisters with a smile, "If I'm lucky."

"Just... promise me one thing; find someone."

"I don't need anyone."

"Yes, you do. Because sometimes, I think you need someone to stop you."

"Yeah," he voiced quietly briefly glancing at Alice. It was as if he wanted to ask her about coming with him but doesn't say a word. But his senses get the better of him knowing that she's probably got more important things to do and get on with her life. Only what he didn't know, was the disappointment washing over her, as he now looked at Donna, "Thanks then, Donna - good luck - and just...be magnificent."

She smiled fondly and laughed, "I think I will, yeah," the Doctor returned her smile and retreats into the TARDIS only to call for him once again, "Doctor?"

"Oh, what is it now?" he asked with mock exasperation after opening the door as Alice held back a giggle.

"That friend of yours... what was her name?"

Alice sees a sudden sadness filling his eyes. Because whoever this friend of his was that the Doctor lost must of meant a great deal to him.

He swallowed the lump that was inside his throat before finally answering, "Her name was Rose," with that he turned back and closed the TARDIS door behind him knowing it would be the last they saw him.

Soon as the time machine disappeared, Donna began to walk back home only leaving Alice who staying in place where she stood, questioning why he didn't ask her to come. Maybe it was because he still wasn't ready for the fear of rejection or that he just wasn't ready take on anybody else he cared about only to lose them again, with a sigh Alice began walking back home and back to her life in training to become a Doctor. Because that's where sometime soon their paths would cross again without them even knowing it.


	5. (1) Noble, Smith & Jones

The shrill beeping of an alarm clock reading 08:00 am starts blaring out annoyingly. As one Alice Noble's hand shot out from underneath the navy blue check duvet, whacking the snooze button on top defiantly. Deciding to drift off for a couple of minutes of sleep.

But only for that to be much short-lived when about twenty minutes later Alice's dearest friend and flatmate Martha Jones who she's known since starting this journey into becoming Doctors together. Was currently banging her fist angrily on her bedroom door, "Come on, Ally get up we're going to be late don't want Mr Stoker having a go at you again do we."

"Alright, alright," the young woman instantly sat up and yawned stretching her arms above her tangled messy red mane, brown eyes becoming wide as saucers once she has noticed the time on the clock. She almost falls flat on her face quickly grabbing a shirt, jumper, skirt, tights, some red converse and hurried out the room, quickly ate breakfast, and headed straight out with Martha to go directly to the Royal Hope Hospital.

Both the young women are weaving in and out of the busy London streets, listening to music through earphones from their mobile phones. Suddenly Martha's phone began to ring, and she answered it straight away going between her family members like a personal messaging service. The young Noble had to guess it was about her brother Leo's twenty-first birthday party later this evening that Martha has invited her along for some moral support.

Her heart honestly went out to her with Martha's parents getting divorced last year, and all the family drama she had to put up with constantly. Which reminded Alice that she'd have to give her mum and sister a call later to see catch up and see how things were. Her father had passed away from cancer just not that many months ago, so it made her want to check up on her family much more often than necessary.

Especially, Donna, she had become more worried about her big sister lately, ever since their adventure with the Doctor last Christmas she hadn't been the same. So Alice suggested she have an experience of her own and that's where Donna currently was, sunning herself in the ancient land of Egypt.

That's when suddenly out of nowhere when she had just been thinking about the Doctor there he stood blocking her and Martha's path only on Chancery Street. Alice's staring back at him with utter disbelief that he was here, she wanted to pinch herself to know she wasn't dreaming, but yet there he stood still wearing that same brown pinstriped suit, converse and hair spiked within an inch of its life.

"Like so," he now offered with that ever so cheeky grin and gave her a small wink passing her his dark blue patterned tie, "See?"

And just like that, he walked away, blending into the crowd leaving Martha freaked out. Alice somewhat baffled about what the Doctor just did well he was a little odd anyway who is she to complain but needed to play it off to that she hadn't a clue who he was, "Well, that was just the weirdest thing ever," Alice comments shaking her head, stuffing the Doctor's tie into her messenger bag and closing it.

"Oh, definitely weird," Martha agreed, nodding her head, "No doubt about that. Now let's get going, or we'll be late."

They continued their way and arrived at the Royal Hope Hospital not ten minutes later. A man in full black motorbike gear head to toe barged his way through us on the way in.

"Oi! Watch, it mate," Alice and Martha hollered at him as they paused to look at them, both entered the hospital. Hesitating for a moment, both women a little uncertain on how to react they continued into the building.

Alice and Martha went to their perspective lockers, put away their personal belongings and pulled on their white lab coats. They touched their locker doors, both receiving an electric shock causing her and Alice to share similar looks of bewilderment. But Alice just didn't know what would cause something like that, but it told her it wasn't normal. There was a little unusual warmth on her chest from where the locket rested against her skin, that her dad gave her before passing away. But she decided to ignore it, debating whether it was the after-effects of the electric shock or that she might be possibly coming down with something.

A hand comes to rest on her shoulder, almost making her jump, before read losing it was Martha, "You alright Ally? I've been calling you for the last minute."

Alice cleared her throat, "Uh, yeah, sorry about that I was miles away."

"What were you thinking about?" her best friend asked.

"Nothing, Martha come on, let's go, or we'll be late."

**-Doctor Who-**

Alice stifled a yawn, just as she and Martha and their fellow medical students approached the next patient's bed. Mr Stoker, an older man with balding hair who had an air of arrogance about him, was currently trying to demonstrate the art of diagnosing a patient as a part of their training. But only it was that Martha's mind was plagued with nothing but her brothers' party.

The patient in question was called Mrs Finnegan, who began explaining her medical problem, "I was all right till this morning. Then, I don't know, I woke up, and I felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in."

Mr Stoker checks the woman's pulse-taking hold of the patient's wrist, "Pulse is slightly thready," he glanced to the doctors-in-training, "Well, let's see what Britain's finest might suggest, Any ideas, Moregenstern?"

"Dizziness can be a sign of early-onset diabetes," Moregenstern responded with a slight stutter.

"Hardly early onset," if you'll forgive me, Miss Finnegan. Any more ideas? Swales?"

"Um..." but Alice could tell they were clueless about it, "Could recommend a CT scan," they offered with a guess.

"And spend all our money?" Mr Stoker dismissed with a scoff and a wave of his hand and looked in Martha's direction, "Jones?"

"We could take bloods and check for Meniere's disease," Martha didn't have a clue either.

That's when Alice simple stepped forwards to directing her question at the patient, "What did you have for dinner yesterday?"

"I had salad," Mrs Finnegan innocently replied.

"What about the night before?" Alice inquired.

"Salad, again..."

"Her diagnosis Mr Stoker is a salt deficiency," the young woman diagnosed, leaving Martha rather impressed by her friend.

"Very impressive diagnosis Miss Noble there may be hope for you after all," he praised the young woman before the students followed him across the lobby, "Hippocrates himself expounded on the virtues of salt. Recommended the inhalation of steam from seawater. Though no doubt if he'd been afflicted with my students, results might have been rather more colourful."

Alice noticed her friend stopping to look at two men in leather, similar to that who had barged into them earlier, just getting out of the lift. They followed after the other students and into another ward, to another patient who sat in bed with a slight vacant smile on his face.

"Now then, Mr Smith. Very good morning to you. How are you today?" Mr Stoker greeted, as both Alice and Martha glanced cautiously behind them.

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know. Blah," 'Mr Smith's' eyes drifted across the room. Eyes instantly widen stopping at the familiar face of one Alice Noble, staring back at him with disbelief. Martha, on the other hand, was equally as surprised to see the very same man who had been on the street earlier. Alice was having words with him when she got the chance.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me," Mr Stoker, giving her a look that told her not to get anything else wrong today.

The young Noble watched her friend step forwards and take her stethoscope from around her neck, leaning forwards to quietly speak to him, "That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?"

"Sorry?" the Doctor frowned, wondering what she meant.

"On Chancery Street this morning. You came up to me, and my friend took your tie off and gave it to her," Martha explained, warming up the end of her stethoscope.

"Really? What did I do that for?" but he still frowns in confusion.

Because he's weird, Alice thought and internally scoffed.

"I don't know, you just did," Martha asked with a shrug, which made Alice wonder the same thing yet then again he did have a time machine, so maybe it was him but from another moment in time.

"Not me. I was here, in bed," the Time Lord jabbed his finger at the staff, who have currently sat around at the reception, "Ask the nurses."

"Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?" Alice noticed her eye him suspiciously.

"No, not any more. Just me."

Mr Stoker cleared his throat from behind her, "As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones."

"Sorry. Right," she apologised with a slight blush on her cheeks, turning back to place her stethoscope on his chest a puzzled look coming across Martha's face. She moves it over to the other side of his chest something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Alice who now tilted her head as the Doctor winked at her.

"I weep for further generations," Mr Stoker sighed with aggravation, "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

The young redhead watched Martha draw back slowly, but she was just equally as stunned. He had two hearts! But then again why would that surprise her he was an alien after all! "Um. I don't know. Stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis," Mr Stoker almost scolded her, going towards the foot of the bed, "And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart."

He went to pick it up the chart, only to receive an electric shock, instantly dropping it onto the bed.

"That happened to me this morning," Martha recalls about the shock she and Alice had gotten earlier.

"Me too," Alice offered with a nod.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," Moregenstern adds.

"And me, on the lift," Swales tells them.

"That's only to be expected. There's a thunderstorm moving in, and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by - anyone?" Mr Stoker looked expectantly at his students.

"Benjamin Franklin," both Alice and the Doctor answered in unison, sharing a brief yet surprised look with one another as everyone else couldn't help but find it very odd.

"Correct!"

"My mate Ben," the Doctor looked away deep in thought, "That was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..." the other students offered various looks of concern at Mr Smith, but not Alice knowing his statement wasn't crazy but very real.

"Quite..."

"...and then I got electrocuted," he added with a rather enthusiastic smile.

"Moving on..." Mr Stoker now turned to a nurse and whispered, "I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric," Alice knew the Doctor was a lot to deal with, but he was always a step away from being in the loony bin, "And next we have..."

**-Doctor Who-**

During lunch break just as Alice comes out of the ladies toilets, she catches the Time Lord coming down the corridor quickly peering into the staff kitchenette where she knew Martha was currently with Swales. So in doing so, she promptly hid out of sight, hiding around the corner waiting for him to approach it.

Once he finally does, Alice grabbed the Doctor by his dressing gowns lapels as he let out a noise of bewilderment and shoved him up against the wall, "What are you bloody doing here?"

"Well..." he dragged out carefully trying to consider his answer, from the young redheads intense questioning gaze, gesturing at her, "I was going to ask you the same thing Ally, but I think the whole getup is pretty obvious."

"Yes, I'm doing my doctor's training here," Alice loosens her grip on him, pointing at the floor before angrily jabbing a finger in his chest, "But the last thing I need right now is you showing up," she moved away from a few steps, folded her arms across her chest and stared at him still want, "Now tell me why you're here?"

"There are plasma coils surrounding the entire hospital..." the Doctor explained, even though Alice hadn't the foggiest what he's nattering on about, she pretended to nod along with interest, "The energy has been building up for the last couple of days, so that's..."

Alice interjected with a disbelieving scoff and shook her head, "...why you booked yourself in with a bad stomach to waste valuable NHS resources," now pinching the bridge of her nose, "Just for you to have a snoop around. Never thought for you to be bad boy Doctor," she ended sarcastically, but he hadn't noticed.

"Why thank you," there was a few moments of deathly drawn-out silence between them after he spoke only for the Doctor to break it quick succession, "So....how's Donna?"

"She's away in Egypt at the moment. Doing what she said she would," Alice replied with a shrug hands in her coat pockets, as they now began walking side by side down the corridor together.

"That's great," the Time Lord voiced with a pleasant smile.

"So what about you?" Alice inquired glancing sideways at him.

Quickly Alice saw that pleasant expression fade into one of nothing but a mask of emptiness as he stared straight ahead, "What about me?"

"Are you still travelling by yourself?" the young woman tried to elaborate more.

The Doctor suddenly stopped walking from her question, "Yeah, I'm still travelling by myself," he offered sternly with a small sniff, "It's like I told Donna, I don't need anyone. I'm just fine being on my own."

"Doc, we all need somebody," Alice offered gently.

"Well, certainly not me."

Alice scoffed and rolled her eyes as they began walking again, trying but wanting to believe him, "Look, I don't know what happened about your friend Rose, my sister had mentioned once," she tried to ignore the slight flinch he gave, just from saying the name Rose, "All that guilt and self-pity your feeling is worthless. That isn't going to bring her back and pushing those away who are trying to help you isn't going to bring your friend back either. So buck up and get on with your life."

The Time Lord didn't say anything and turned his back on Alice. Who had noticed the glare in his eyes? It's generally followed by that person offering an apology, in which case if they've been offended by another's words, but Alice wasn't going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Because she told him exactly what she thought and didn't care monkeys if he was annoyed with her about it, she just had to say something.

After a few moments, he said monotonously without even looking the young woman in the eye, "Now..." he takes a deep breath, "I'd say it was nice to see you again Alice, but I've got some more investigating to do and good luck with everything," he quickly glanced over his shoulder at her sadly before walking away.

"Hey, wait! You're not going anywhere without me, mister!" Alice goes chasing after him up the corridor, firmly grabbing his arm.

"Alice, go and get back to your training," he yanked his arm from her grip.

"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not, Spaceman," Alice offered with the most stubborn of looks, that'd even put her older sister to shame.

"Stop calling me 'Spaceman' please," he insisted with raised eyebrows.

"Why not, Spaceman?" Alice narrowed her eyes at him, "I like calling you that so live with it, Spaceman."

"You won't stop calling me that until I let you come with me, will you?" he asked with a deep sigh.

"Yeah."

"Okay," he let out another sigh, "Come on, let's go, stay with me and don't go wandering off."

"Of course, Doctor sir," Alice gave a salute.

"Please don't do that," he returned her a sour look, and he walked off.

With Alice muttering under her breath as she followed after him, "Grouch."


	6. (2) Noble, Smith & Jones

"Where are we heading to exactly?" Alice inquired keeping in stride with him, seeing as she is almost equal in height to him but maybe just a few inches less.

He paused in his tracks and so did she, with a look of uncertainty written upon the Doctors features, "I...I do not have a clue."

She stared back at him with disbelief, "So now what? Are we just going to be walking about this hospital all day until something strange happens?"

"No, we're not going to do!" the Time Lord scoffed. Wiping the disbelieving expression of the young redheads face and being replaced by a more pointed one that read 'Come on I'm not that stupid. Because it's exactly what we're currently doing.' Which he seemed to have gotten off from her look straight away dropping his shoulders in defeat and letting out a heavy sigh, "Okay you're right because that's exactly what we're doing," the Doctor straightened up and began to walk away and Alice not far behind throwing her hands up in the air with frustration.

"Well isn't this fan..." at that moment Alice stopped talking as something strange caught her eye about the rain pelting against the window panes, "Uh, Doctor is rain supposed to fall down and not up."

He comes to stand beside the young woman, and they both gazed out, as the rain travelled up the windows. But all the Doctor could do was smile at her.

"See Ally? Told you it was the right plan."

"You never said anything about that."

"Of course I did," he offered with a slight sniff, "Just not long ago."

"No," Alice pondered before shaking her head in disagreement and wagging a finger at him, "I'm sorry, Doctor, but that wasn't even a plan! I also find it a tad ironic that something weird happens soon as I mention it. Because let's face it, neither of us knew the plan was going to work, which there wasn't even a plan in the first place, that would work. So now what genius?" she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

"But I..." he went to object but couldn't be asked and rolled his eyes in disbelief, "Ugh, I... Allons'y!" He grabbed the redheads hand and began to drag her along with him back in the direction they had just been. As they started running, the entire building shook violently, and Alice was thankful for not having tripped up once because she was wearing trainers today of all days. But the impact had knocked them to the floor, followed by a short burst of blinding white light beaming in through the windows and afterwards the shaking had ceased.

"Are you okay, Alice?" The Time Lord quickly asked, helping her up.

"Fine, thanks," she brushed herself down and straightened out her doctor's coat and is suddenly caught short by what her eyes see outside the window, "Well we're certainly not in London anymore that's for sure."

The Doctor looked at Alice somewhat puzzled, wondering if the young woman had hit her head when falling only to follow her line of sight to outside the window, discovering that we're gazing back at the surface of the moon.

"Shame we can't click your trainers together to get us back to Earth," the Doctor muttered before once again taking hold of Alice's hand and tugging her along down the corridor. They find themselves returning to the ward the Time Lord had been on awhile ago, people running around screaming in utter panic.

At that moment Martha had entered trying to calm and reassure people, "All right, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency, but we'll sort it out."

Alice watched on, kind of impressed by her flatmate's reaction to the whole situation. That she wasn't as freaked out about it all. Suddenly, the Doctor pulled her backwards. Before she even had a chance to retaliate, just as the curtain gets drawn around his bed and without so much as a warning began taking off his pyjamas.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Doctor!" the redhead quickly turned her back to him and covered her eyes, "Warn a girl before stripping down to just your birthday suit!" She finished voicing with disdain. He clears his throat from behind her, and she turned back to face him peering through her fingers, seeing him adorned in a new blue pinstriped suit. Dropping her hands away from her face and awkwardly clearing her throat, Alice asked whilst gesturing as his new attire, "New suit?"

"Yep," he responded, popping the 'p' at the end like he usually did, straightening out his maroon floral tie, "Thought I'd try out something new."

"It's nice blue suits you," Alice complimented with a genuine smile because she meant it the suit did look perfect on him.

He was about to say something back to her when Martha's voice cut him off, "But they're not exactly airtight. If the air was going to get sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

In response to this, the Doctor exclaimed pulling aside the bed-curtain, "Very good point!"

"Ally! Where have you been?!" Martha asked with surprise but at the same time somewhat relieved she was okay.

"Well, certainly not sleeping with him," Alice implied with a scoff gesturing towards him, not wanting Martha to get the wrong idea when finding two people behind a curtain with a bed.

Martha raised a suspicious eyebrow at her flatmate, finding it rather hard to believe. The Doctor who was had gone bright red and speechless but quickly got himself into check afterwards, "Brilliant, in fact!" his voice coming out as a little high pitched but his exterior showed confidence only for the young redhead to roll her eyes and shake her head in annoyance, "What was your name?"

"This is Martha we share a flat together," Alice introduced the Doctor to her friend nodding in her direction.

"Alright, and Jones was it?" Martha nodded in response before the Doctor wandered over towards the window with the two women coming to stand either side of him, "Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be!" Swales cried from beside them. Alice internally rolled her eyes, thinking the woman was being a little overdramatic but gave her colleague a reaffirming but comforting pat on the shoulder.

When the Doctor said insensitively, "Obviously, we are so don't waste my time."

Receiving a hard slap on the shoulder from Alice who was still using her other to comfort Swales, earning her an aggravated glare from him as he rubbed the spot where she hit him, "What?! You were rude!" She scolded, before glancing back in Swales direction, "Don't mind him. I just like to keep him in line."

But the Time Lord pretend to ignore her and turned the other young woman, "Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or...?"

"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha recalls with a nod.

"Fancy going out?"

Alice noticed that her flatmate didn't even hesitate with her response, "Okay."

The Doctor cautioned her, earnestly, "We might die."

"We might not."

"Come on, Martha," Alice takes hold of her flatmate's hand with a small grin. Leaving Martha instead taken aback by her behaviour as the redhead now glanced over her shoulder at the Doctor, "Come on, slowpoke. We haven't got time to stand around. Get a move on will you."

He was somewhat perplexed by this take control attitude of Alice's, yet he was the one so used to being in charge of others. Told him that she wasn't one that liked to follow or at least she tried not to do it.

Coming to a split in at the end of the hallway, Alice tugged one way and Martha another, "Ally, it's this way you should know that by now."

"Of course it is," she cleared her throat awkwardly and turned to stride confidently in the right direction with her flatmate laughing at her from behind and returning a wink at her and sees the Doctor smirking, but she rolled her eyes, "Oh, get lost, Spaceman."

He groaned, and the smirk fell off his face "Do you have to keep calling me that?"

"Yeah, so get used to it," Alice beamed, as he let out another sigh of defeat.

There's a brief moment of silence until Martha asked her friend, "Alice, why are you calling him that?"

The redhead only but shrugged pretending not to have a clue what she was on about, "Have no idea what you mean, I just made it up on the spot," she shrugged again, "Besides I just wanted to annoy him a little that's all," knowing it was the most reasonable but believable explanation yet somehow Martha wasn't buying it and that there was more truth behind it. That Alice might know who this man is.

They finally made it to the patient's lounge and the Time Lord shoved open the doors with Alice and Martha not far behind. All three stepped outside onto the balcony. The young Noble was amazed by it all. They were actually on the moon she couldn't believe it, making her wonder how they got here was another thing. But it was pretty obvious to her that it's something extraterrestrial.

"We've got air!" Martha exclaimed from where she stood to the left of the Doctor and Alice on his right who got snapped away from her thoughts, "How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," the Doctor answered which Alice nodded in agreement.

"That I'm thankful for. Would dread to think telling my mum and sister I died on the moon from suffocation," Alice could imagine their reactions already. It honestly broke her heart a little, "But then again... thinking about it," the redhead mused in thought, walking towards the walled balcony, "I'd already been dead so how could I of told them anyway. Think I'll leave that job to you next time Mr Smith," she folded her arms in front of her and leaned against the wall to face them both, "Let's just say, mum still isn't over with what happened at Donna's wedding last year so she'll give you a right thumping that's for sure if she ever sees you again."

The very thought made the Doctor physically shudder about getting smacked by Sylvia. Alice knew how her mother got when she had a temper and had witnessed a fair few times, look rather painful, so she doesn't blame him. Martha watched curiously as her friend pretend to put on a smile, and inform the man, "But no need to worry, Spaceman, no chance of me dying anyway."

He blushed about it slightly and nodded, "Well..." he dragged out before he and Martha came to stand either side of the redhead, all gazing out at the surface of the moon.

It was silent for a few moments before Martha began to speak up as Alice noticed a distant look in her flatmate's eyes, "Alice and I have a party tonight. My brother Leo's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really.." Martha trailed off, pausing slightly as Alice went to squeeze her shoulder in understanding, somewhat concerned for her friend.

"You okay?" the Doctor asked.

Martha nodded, "Yeah."

But Alice wasn't buying it and asked, "Are you?"

"Yeah."

"Want to go back in?" the Time Lord now asked.

Martha instantly shakes her head, turning her head slightly in his direction, "No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same...it's beautiful."

"It's breathtaking literally," Alice acknowledged with sigh joking about it slightly. They may be stranded on the moon but had to appreciate the beauty of Earth before them.

"You think?"

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!" Martha returned excitedly.

The Doctor smiles, "Standing in the Earthlight."

The young woman nervously bit her lip, with some hesitance, she glanced in his direction to ask, "What do you think happened?"

"What do you think?" the Doctor implied, as he watched Martha with caution.

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be."

"And our winner is..." Alice did a drumroll of sorts on top of the wall with a cheeky grin and a wink, before gesturing towards her friend like a magicians assistant who in return giggled and the Doctor shake his at the redhead"Martha Jones!"

Trying to get her laughter under control Martha continued, "I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things," she lets out a deep shuddering breath, expression becoming sad, "I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor offered his sympathies as Alice went to squeeze her friend's hand in comfort.

Martha returned the gesture as she sighs, "Yeah."

"I was there," the Time Lord offered sadly, "In the battle..."

"Is that..." the redhead hesitates, "Is that where you lost Rose?" but the Doctor didn't need to offer Alice an answer when she probably already knew it herself. She takes his hand for a moment, giving it a consoling squeeze and letting it go.

"I promise you, Mr Smith, we will find a way out," Martha declared confidently with a nod as the Doctor stepped away from the balcony edge, "If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"Uh, Martha, I hate to break this to you, but Mr Smith isn't his actual name," Alice offered honestly leaving her friend to gaze back somewhat startled.

"You're kidding, right?"

"It's not Smith, that's not my real name," the Doctor repeats to confirm this, glancing over at Martha.

"Who are you, then?"

"I'm the Doctor."

Martha snickered, "Me too if I can pass my exams. What is it, then, Doctor Smith?"

"No," Alice tried to explain, "It's just the Doctor," followed by a nervous laugh off from the expression on her friends face.

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?"

"Because that's his name," Alice simply shrugged, "That's how he introduced himself to me when we meet at my sister's wedding."

"So you do know him?" Martha asked once Alice cringed realising she had just slipped up.

"Yes," the redhead nodded with guilt, before going to explain to her flatmate, "And I wanted to tell you, Martha, I did, but then you'd think I was crazy."

"Ally I'd never think that you were crazy, " Martha told her honestly with a smile and giving her hand a brief squeeze before asking with a frown nodding her head towards the man in question, "So, people just call him 'the Doctor'?"

"Unfortunately, " Alice nodded whilst rolling her eye in disbelief.

Which in turn Martha scoffed, "Well, I'm not, " she looked to the Time Lord, "As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"I told him that when we met," Alice informed her flatmate knowingly as they both stare back at him.

"Well, I'd better make a start, then, " the Doctor cleared his throat and mumbles, but he rather liked Martha pointing it out. Alice having to remind him of the very fact she had uttered it to him last Christmas, "Let's have a look, " he bent down to pick up a pebble giving the young women a glance of his bottom in those tight blue trousers which Alice couldn't help but ogle over which Martha caught her friend but doesn't say anything knowing it was pretty clear she found him attractive which she couldn't help but somewhat agree on too just as he now stood back up and threw the pebble as it bounced off and landed back on the balcony. All rather surprised.

"So it must be a force field, right?" Alice glimpsed in the Doctor's direction, who agreed with a nod.

"Right you are Ally, " he returned to her with a small smile, "Must be sealing in the air."

"Which to would make sense, " Alice acknowledged

"If that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got," Martha voiced with concern her eyes becoming wide, "What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people in this hospital?" the Time Lord asked both of the women.

"I don't know, a thousand?"

Alice sees the Doctor's expression become dark, which just sends a frightening chill down her spine, "One thousand people. Suffocating," his voice matching that of his face.

Both the women gasped, "That's awful," the redhead said, suddenly feeling a little nauseous not liking what was going to happen or will probably happen, "Who or what would do that?" As if on cue there's a roaring above their heads, as the noise of engines filled their ears.

"Head's up!" the Time Lord called, "Ask them yourself."

Spaceships come into their line of sight. They were enormous things. So gigantic Alice's jaw had dropped open. Landing on the moon meters away from the hospital as the large monsters marched towards them.

"Aliens," Martha gasps in surprise, "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Doctor, what are they?" Alice inquired to him as he stared out at the creatures.

"Judoon," he simply replied with no emotion in his voice.

Before Alice even had the chance to ask who the 'Judoon' are he hastily turned on his heels and dashed back into the hospital with a sense of intention. Both women shared a look of apprehension before they went following in after him. It wasn't hard to see that it was the Judoon's who had brought them to the moon, but the question remains as to why?


	7. (3) Noble, Smith & Jones

It was now Martha, Alice, and the Doctor had managed to find a hiding place by a group of large plant pots on the second-floor landing that overlooked the hospital's reception. It could have been a much better spot in Alice's opinion, but at least this worked out so no one would spot them. She watched as the Judoon filled in, shining a blue light on each person and then marking up their right hand with a black cross then saying "Human."

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop," the Time Lord pointed excitedly.

"Do you think now is the right time to tell us something ridiculous as that?" Alice asked in a scolding manner before going onto add, "When the people here are already bloody scared to death!"

Martha looked at him in disbelief also and shook her head to now, then ask, "What are Judoon?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and now tore them away from the shop to explain, "Galactic police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs."

"Yeah, but why bring us to the moon? Out of all places, they pick this hospital specifically, but why?"

"Neutral territory," He explained, glancing in the redhead's direction, "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

"What's that about 'galactic law'?" Martha inquiries with a frown trying to wrap her head around it, "Where'd you get that from?" The Doctor didn't respond and moved towards another spot with the young women following his lead. But they remained well hidden from the Judoon and still could see them, only with no pot plants surrounding them.

"If they're the police, are we under arrest?" Martha went on to ask only to then guess with a slightly joking manner, "Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No, can't be, " Alice shook her head before pointing to the Judoon and suggesting just as she interrupted the Doctor, "Otherwise, they wouldn't be cataloguing all those people down there."

Martha frowned at her friend, "What do you mean, cataloguing?"

"Well, maybe they're looking for something or someone, " the young Noble explained to her flatmate, watching the Doctor out the corner of her eye, as he gazed back intently at her, now catching each other's eyes, "What Doctor?"

"No, it's nothing forget about it, " the Time Lord quickly jumped the topic returning his attention towards the Judoon, "But no, we're not trespassing on the moon. But I like that, " he now told Martha briefly, glancing at her and back to the Judoon again, "Good thinking. But Ally is right about something."

Alice now grinned rather smugly, "Wow, never thought I'd hear you say that."

But the Doctor just completely blanks her and goes on like it never happened, "They're looking for something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

"Why?" Martha asked, receiving a look from him in return, waiting for her to figure it out when his eyes widened in alarm, "Oh, you're kidding me," continuing to gaze back at the Doctor who raised his eyebrows, "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then," the called, dashing off with both women following after him.

"If you were an alien, Alice, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?"

The young Noble looked to her friend with a brief reassuring smile as they follow after the Doctor, "Martha, believe me, if I were an alien, I would know about it, "but I'm human alright, so don't worry over it, but Spaceman there he's one of the good guys. He'll get us out of this."

"Hey!" the Time Lord called rather impatiently, loud enough that they heard but never got a chance to respond, "Quit nattering and hurry up, you two!"

"Alright, Mr Grumpy," Alice rolled her eyes, muttering herself as she took Martha by the hand and pulled her along to catch up with the Doctor, "No need to get your boxers in a twist," which made Martha snort in amusement.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

"What are you trying to do?" Alice asked as she was currently leaning on the table beside the Doctor who was at the computer using his sonic screwdriver to examine it or whatever he was doing with it, the young redhead having one long black tights covered leg crossing over the other arms folded across her chest. They had come across the empty office, Alice staying with the Doctor whilst checking out the current situation with the Judoon.

"Checking the computer over, seeing if I can try to get it to come on," he returned, sounding somewhat distracted, frowning in concentration.

"Doesn't look like its planning to work out anytime soon," Alice bluntly scoffed.

But as usual, he ignored the young woman's snide remark as she let out a sigh of frustration and decided to change the topic of that of her best friend, "Soo..." she glanced down at her red converse for a short moment and then back up again arms now unfolding her arms and legs, "How are you liking Martha?"

"Well...she's nice, I guess," he answered but wasn't paying Alice the slightest bit of attention.

"Of course she's nice she's my best friend Martha has a perfect head upon her shoulders but has a family from hell, but other than that she's got excellent qualities for a companion," but once Alice finished talking, she knew it'd go in one ear and out the other with him.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" he now stopped what he was doing for a moment to glance at Alice.

She shook her head, "Are you deaf or something? I just said, 'Martha has a perfect head upon her shoulders," she repeats, "'Excellent qualities for a companion."

The Doctor lets out a heavy sigh with an irritated expression upon his face, "Ally, I don't want to travel with anyone else right now. I'm perfectly fine being on my own. I prefer it actually," as he spoke, Alice saw a truth within his eyes. That showed he despised being alone.

"Oh, yeah, because misery certainly loves company," Alice retaliated sarcastically with a scoff, "You, on the other hand, are no exception, Spaceman. You're no better than anyone else in this in this hospital right now."

"I didn't say anything like that. Because you're right, I'm no better than anyone else here," the Doctor returned, eyes filled with anger. But it didn't bother the young Noble in the slightest because she's annoyed so many people who have come and gone from her life.

"Alright, fair enough I don't want to admit it, because there's a thing called 'reading between the lines'" she finished off with some air quotes anda roll of her eyes, "Okay, another thing that's be nagging me, I don't know much about that Rose friend of yours, but you were in love with her," he opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted, "Don't even bother denying it. Well I mean you were. Why else would you be miserable that she's gone? If Rose were here right now, she'd want you to travel with someone," she offered gently, "Not be out there all on your own."

But he doesn't dignify her with a response and just went back to what he was doing previously on the computer. At that very moment, Martha came in with an update on the Judoon.

"They've reached the third floor," she informed them both, to then frown and point at the sonic in the Doctor's hand, "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Time Lord replied without glancing away from what he was doing.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!"

With a frown, the Time Lord went to face her, "No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look, " he waved it about before returning his attention to the computer once again as Martha came over to join her friend and the Doctor.

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" Martha joked sarcastically once reaching them, standing on the other side of the Doctor.

"I did, but Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman stole it, " he muttered to himself and suddenly hit the computer screen in frustration, "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down, " with a sigh, he runs a hand over his face, "Judoon platoon upon the moon."

Alice pulled a face, "Are you serious?"

"Huh?" he looked at her for a moment, and she shook her head at him in disbelief.

"Nevermind."

He stares at her for another moment longer to then shrug and babble on to both young women, "Cause I was just travelling past, I swear, I was just wondering, I wasn't looking for trouble. Honestly, I wasn't. Just like I told Alice, I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in, I thought something was going on inside."

"Which he definitely was wrong about, " the redhead joked with a smirk to her best friend.

"That's not the point, " he mumbled irritably.

"Alright, lighten up. It was only a joke," Alice shakes her head at him for what she felt like must be the hundredth time now.

He only but ignored her, "But it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what were they looking for?" Martha inquired.

"Well, someone that isn't human obviously, " Alice implied with a raised eyebrow at her friend, "I thought we covered that subject already?"

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"You would think, wouldn't you? It would make things easier if they did have a photo, and we'd be safe back on Earth already. Maybe it's a shapeshifter of some sort, right?" Alice went to direct her query to the Doctor, who had been listening to the conversation.

"It could be possible, " he agreed with her.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha asked.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution, " the Doctor acknowledged with a sigh.

"All of us?" Alice gasped in alarm, and so did Martha, "But that's the..."

"If I can find this thing first... Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick!" he suddenly exclaimed, throwing his head back running a hand through his hair, making it wilder and messier than before, like he had rolled out from a bed, "They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever."

"Okay, relax," Alice goes to rest a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "We'll find the alien. We just have to remain calm," she leant forward slightly, "So what are we looking for?"

"I don't know yet, " he replied, hand running through his hair again, "Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms."

"Right, so here's what we'll do," Alice began to suggest standing up straight, "There must be another back up in the system, and if not, Martha and I can try and find out where the patient files are kept, " she now looked to her friend, "Do think we should ask Mr Stoker see if he knows?"

"Yeah, maybe, but it's worth a try, " Martha responded with a nod.

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Alice offered cheerfully and turning back to the Time Lord, "Right, while you're trying to fix the computer, which hasn't worked out so far, Martha and I are going to make ourselves useful. Be back soon," grabbing Martha's hand she pulled her out from the office before the Doctor could even utter a word.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

The two young doctors in training walked down the corridor beside each other towards Mr Stoker's office just as Martha asked her friend with interest, "So what did actually happen at your sister's wedding?"

"It's a long, complicated story, Martha. Like I said before, you'd probably wouldn't believe me anyway, but he saved Donna's life that I'm grateful for," Alice smiled fondly.

"Your, my friend, of course, I would," Martha returned with a small smile which soon turned into a scoff, "But I'm still not entirely convinced about him, though," she goes on to change the subject, "You and he aren't...?"

Alice knew what her friend was implying and made a face of disgust, "Christ, no," she shakes her head, trying to convince not only herself but Martha she didn't fancy him, "He's not even my type," before going onto add, "But I do like a man with green eyes and who doesn't take things so seriously. They got to be fun which he clearly isn't."

Martha let out a small laugh but still wasn't entirely convinced as she recalled Alice checking him out earlier. They finally reached Mr Stoker's office, and Martha gently knocked on the door but got no answer.

"Mr Stoker!"

Upon entering his office, both of them gasped, noticing Mr Stoker's feet sticking out from around his desk and two of those men in black leather jackets and biker helmets that had one of them bump into them earlier in reception. Alice and Martha instantly froze on the spot when the recognised the woman was that of Mrs Finnegan arose from behind the desk holding a straw.

"Oh, Christ!" Alice yelled as she ultimately snapped out of it and grabbed hold of Martha and hastily dragged her out the office and made a run for it, hearing the woman ordered.

"Kill them!"

They both end up bumping into the Doctor in the hallway

"I've restored the back-up," he returned brightly.

"Do I honestly don't care about that right now?!" Alice frantically waved her arms about, "Because we just found the alien!" she gestured between herself and Martha, who quickly nodded as the Doctor looked back at them, somewhat startled.

"You what?" he asked before his eyes widen in alarm seeing one of the men approaching from down the corridor from behind Alice and Martha only now to exclaim, "Run!" he takes Martha's hand, and she takes Alice's running as fast as they could.

Continuing down a hallway, down a flight of stairs before forcing to turn another way as the Judoon came up. They charged through a doorway onto the fourth floor with the biker man still on their tails, skidding around a corner and into the radiology room.

The Doctor quickly slammed the door shut and locked in the face of the biker man using his sonic and turning to face Alice and Martha, "When I say 'now', press the button."

"Which one, one genius!" The redhead barked at him.

"I don't know. Find out!" he dashed over towards the machinery and held his sonic on it as Alice threw her hands up in utter disbelief before she and Martha went to consult the users manual to find the correct button.

"Yes, found it!" Alice cheered loudly and suddenly jumped out of her skin when the biker came crashing in through the door

"Now!" the Doctor suddenly ordered.

Together, Martha and Alice pushed the big yellow button. The leather-clad figure was receiving a massive dose of radiation before falling flat on his face. Martha turned off the machine, but neither she nor Alice left the protective area.

"What did you do?" Martha asked.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent," he responded with a shrug, "Killed him dead."

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Alice inquired with some concern.

"Nah, it's only radiation, " he casually brushed it off with a wave of his hand, "We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery," he looked other at them, "It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all," they both approached as he continues to speak, "All I need to do is expel it, " he started bouncing and hopping about like a crazy person which Martha thought he was, whilst Alice just stood there arms folded across her chest rather bored, as she was already accustomed to his oddness, "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." he starts shaking his foot whilst hopping on the other, "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah - hold on, " he takes hold of his foot yanking off his shoe and tossed it in the nearby dustbin, "Done."

You're completely mad," Martha shakes her head at him.

"Believe me, you'll get used to it, " Alice gives her best friend a light pat on her shoulder. Yet, the Doctor thought she was on about something completely different.

"Right. I look daft with one shoe," he pulled off the other one and chucked it inside the bin, "Barefoot on the moon!" he now grinned, wiggling his toes.

Alice scoffed and shook her head as she and Martha went to approach the man, "So what is that thing?" Martha now asked as she and Alice crouched either side of the man's body, "And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab, " the Doctor began to explain, coming to crouch beside Alice, "They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see?" he taps it on the arm, "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"It came with that woman, Mrs Finnegan, " Martha now said with a frown as the Doctor got up and went over to the X-ray machine, "It was working for her. Just like a servant."

"My sonic screwdriver," the Time Lord whined in complaint as he pulled the now mangled remains of his sonic out from the X-ray machine.

"She was one of the patients, but..." Martha talked as Alice rolled her eyes with disbelief, something she seemed to find doing a lot when she was around him.

"My sonic screwdriver!"

"She had a straw-like some kind of vampire."

"I love a good vampire story," Alice remarked to her flatmate, "But I never got my head around Twilight though I mean come on, vampires that sparkle in the sun."

Martha nodded in agreement with her.

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!"

"Doctor!" Martha shouted in aggravation, making Alice almost jump.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologised, chucking the sonic over his shoulder and smiles, "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway, what Martha was trying to tell you that the alien is Miss Finnegan. We found her drinking Mr Stoker's blood," Alice explained.

"Funny time to take a snack, " the Doctor thought aloud, "You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless - no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes!" he exclaimed, "Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer," he explained to them, "She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it."

"She was doing what?" Alice asked with a frown of confusion.

"She was assimilating it!" he repeated to her, "If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human."

"That means the Judoon won't be able to find her!" Alice sussed out.

"Yes, precisely! So, we've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" he runs out of the room Alice and Martha not far behind him.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

Alice, Martha and the Doctor watched on just as a Slab goes marching past the water cooler they're hiding behind.

"That's the thing about Slabs," the Time Lord whispered, his warm breath fanning across Alice's neck, "They always travel in pairs."

"What about you?" Martha asked.

"What about me, what?"

"Haven't you got back-up?" Martha asked, "You must have a partner other than Alice or something?" in that very moment, both he and Alice shared a brief glance.

"Um, I wouldn't call us partners, more along the lines of acquaintances," the redhead corrected her flatmate.

"Uh. Humans, " the Doctor mumbled to himself, not having answered Martha's question, "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on, " he makes a move to leave their hiding spot.

"I like that. 'Humans,'" Martha now muttered to her friend.

"I know, he's such a charmer, isn't he," Alice responded with a roll of her eyes as they began to follow after him again.

"I'm still not convinced you're an alien."

No sooner had the words left Martha's lips they have stepped out in front of the Judoon, one of which shines a blue light right in the Doctor's face.

"Non-human," the Judoon states, moving it's light away.

"Oh my God, you really are!" Martha gasped.

"Come on, Martha, his two hearts were a dead giveaway!" Alice cried out, taking her and the Doctor's hands, "It's that time to run again!"

They raced back down the hallway, ducking when the Judoon shoots at them. They headed up the stairs and managed to lock a door behind them, entering into a corridor finding people there collapsing to the ground, gasping from the lack of air.

"They've done this floor. Come on, " the Doctor tells them, but all Alice and Martha could do was gaze sadly at the people in the hallway, him walking ahead of them.

She and Martha we're both running just as on adrenaline alone, but they both knew that wasn't going to last them much longer.

"The Judoon are logical, and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

Alice just stands there beside the Doctor and doesn't utter a word as she watched her best friend talk to their fellow colleague who was assisting a patient with some oxygen. She could only but frown with concern.

Martha goes to crouch before Swales to ask, "How much oxygen is there?"

With a defeated sigh, the woman replied, glancing in the other threes direction, "Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out," she returned to the person she was assisting oxygen to. The Doctor shared a look with Alice and Martha.

"How are you feeling? Are you all right?"

"I'm running on adrenaline," Martha responded with a grin.

"Ally, how about you?"

"Yeah, me too," she confirmed with a nod.

"Welcome to my world."

"Well, for one thing, it's proper exciting but right now, but I'm not complaining," Alice voiced happily. She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because of the fact she might die and never return home. It was just so thrilling to her. She was having an adventure. But Alice had dreamed of becoming a doctor ever since she was a little girl, and she loves it, but of course, she also had loved her family. But why did she have this urge inside her that wanted her to experience so much more? Yet she knew that maybe it wouldn't be fair not if Donna wasn't with her to share it.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked, snapping Alice from her thoughts.

"Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down," the Doctor shook his head, "Where's Mr Stoker's office?"

"It's this way," Martha said, her and Alice in front leading the way and finally into the room one of the Slabs had been in previously only to now find it empty, "She's gone! She was here."

The Doctor goes kneel beside Mr Stoker's body to examine it, "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."

"What was she doing on Earth?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow, "And in a hospital of all places?"

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all," the Doctor now stands back up, "Come on."

"Wait a minute," Martha goes to kneel beside Mr Stoker and closed the deceased man's eyes before leaving with Alice and the Doctor.

"Think, think, think, " the Time Lord pondered to himself soon as they had stepped out into the hallway, "If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" when at that moment they paused under an MRI sign, and he glanced up at it, "Aah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

"Find the non-human," a Judoon ordered from done another end of the hall, "Execute!"

The Doctor turned to both women, "Stay here. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up.

"And how are we going to bloody do that, Spaceman?" Alice asked, folding her arms across her chest as he now turned to face her a little more.

"Alice, I'm so sorry but please forgive me for this...it's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing."

Before Alice could even ask anything, the Doctor grabbed her face in his hands and firmly kissed her on the lips. She made a noise of distress against his lips. Once he finally broke away, she instantly slapped him hard across the face. He was stumbling back ever so slightly, holding a hand to his cheek.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" she screamed at him.

"It doesn't mean a thing, and besides, I already apologised for it!"

"Well, you don't just go and kiss somebody like that! Who do you think you are, Cleopatra?!"

"No, I'm the Doctor!" and with that, he stormed off before she got the chance to shout at him anymore.

Out the corner of her eye, Alice could see her best friend giggling slightly and was about to say something only to cut her off, pointing her finger in warning at her, "Don't you dare say a word."

"I wasn't going to," she denied with a shrug of her shoulders.

It wasn't long before the Judoon came marching down the corridor where Alice and Martha were waiting and ready to take action.

"Hey, you space rhinos," Alice called loudly, grabbing their attention, pulling Martha behind her so that she wasn't seen, "I know who your alien is, and her name is Miss Finnegan. She may look like a sweet old lady, but she ain't!"

The Judoon flashes her with the blue light, "Human," they announce, "With non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorize full scan," they shoved Alice hard up against the wall.

"Oi! Get your bloody hands...hooves off me!" she cried, but she was only but ignored.

"What are you? What are you?"

But all Alice could think that these aliens didn't know the meaning of keeping their hands to themselves.


	8. (4) Noble, Smith & Jones

Alice was scowling the entire time whilst the Judoon had scanned her over with the blue light. She to tried her best not to smack their hooves away. It made her wonder how on Earth they held that scanner. But it was now she was finally let go, forcefully taking her hand and putting a cross on the back of it.

"Confirmed: human," the Judoon announced to their fellow Judoon.

"You'd know that if I told you," Alice muttered to herself bitterly.

"Traces of facial contact with non-human."

"Didn't really need to be reminded about it, thanks," she cringed, still feeling the Doctor's lips on hers, "I'd rather not like to think about it, thanks."

"Continue the search," they handed her a slip of paper, which Alice frowned at, "You will need this."

"What's this for?" she questioned, glancing up at them.

"Compensation."

"Since when do aliens have compensation?" Alice scoffed with disbelief, thinking that it was absolutely ridiculous as the Judoon storm off. With a shrug, she noticed Martha hand now also been catalogued. With no more time to lose, she grabbed Martha's hand, "Come on! Let's see what trouble the Doc has gotten into."

They followed after the Judoon towards the MRI room, trying to shove their way towards the front but failed. They now could faintly hear Miss Finnigan.

"Now see what you've done. This poor man just died of fright."

A chill suddenly went through both the young women, knowing instantly who she was talking about. At that moment, she felt the locket underneath her top warm unpleasantly against her skin and a panicked voice whispering inside her head, _'Don't just stand there save him!'_

"No, no, he can't be dead! Let me through!" And without thinking, Alice shoved through the crowd of Judoon surrounding the Doctors still form lying upon the ground, "Let me see him!"

But she and Martha we're held back by the Judoon, "Stop. Case closed."

"But it was her," Martha insisted, gesturing towards Miss Finnigan, "But it was her. She killed him. She did it. She murdered him."

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"But she's not human," Alice pleaded angrily with the who must be the Chief Judoon feeling things that weren't entirely her own as the lockets heat began to get much warmer against her skin.

"Oh, but I am," the woman calmly insisted, showing the mark upon her hand, "I've been catalogued."

"But she's not!" Martha tried to protest.

"Yes, exactly!" Alice agreed with her friend, "She's assimil..." at that moment, a thought hit her, "Hang on a minute. You drank his blood! You the Doctor's blood!" she laughed sarcastically before her expression became cold and unnerving as she stared daggers at the woman who only but narrowed her eyes without care, "Now I have to say that's a very stupid thing to have done."

"And why would that be?" she questioned Alice.

"Well, I hate to break this to you..." Alice paused, dragging out the silence as much as she could for a dramatic effect, "But he isn't exactly human."

The narrowed gaze fell from Miss Finnigan's face being replaced but that of widened eyes, finally having understood what Alice meant. As the young woman knowingly smirked.

"Which means..." Alice went on, going to snatch the Judoon scanner and using it on the woman. Just a moment later, it beeps.

"Non-human," the Judoon Cheif declared.

"Yes! Just the point I was trying to make," Alice grinned triumphantly.

"Confirm analysis."

Even though she had been caught, to Alice's surprise Miss Finnigan wasn't giving up the charade so easily.

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come."

Alice rolled her eyes as another Judoon gave the woman another scan, "Save it, you old bag. You've been caught red-handed. Because this man," she pointed to him, starting to get upset for no apparent reason as the locket warmed against her unpleasantly once again, "This idiot, sacrificed his life so he could get you arrested. So don't let his death be in vain."

"Confirmed: Plasmavore," the Cheif announced, "I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it!" the alien women sneered, finally giving up her charade, "Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

"Do you confess?"

"Confess?" she snickered evilly, "I'm proud of it! Slab - stop them!" the woman dodged behind the glass portion of the MRI room.

Alice and Martha screeched in fear as the Slab fired at the Judoon, and they shoot back, making the Slab disintegrate before their eyes.

"Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution," the Judoon quickly turned to aim at the alien woman.

Suddenly a red warning light came on, and both young women glanced up at the warning sign that reads: MAGNETIC OVERLOAD.

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon," Finnigan hollered at them, "because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!" the Judoon now aimed and fired the woman screaming as disintegrated into nothingness.

For the second time, that voice entered Alice's head, _'Just save him, please!'_

Alice dropped to her knees beside the Doctor, and Martha joined her.

"Case closed, " the Chief said.

"What did she mean, 'burn with me'?" Martha asked just as the alarms for the MRI machine started blaring.

"But the scanner shouldn't be doing that," Alice pointed at it; even though she was smart, Alice didn't know much about how the MRI machine worked, "She's done something."

The Judoon went to scan the machine and reported, "Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse."

Both women shared a look of panic, and Alice screamed at them, "Well, do something! Stop it!"

"Our jurisdiction has ended," they announced, "Judoon will evacuate."

"You can't just leave it," Martha offered in disbelief, "What's it going to do?"

But they only but ignored her as the Cheif Judoon speaks into his transceiver, "All units withdraw," they leave, and Alice watched Martha chase them out the doors.

' _Please! Please just save him!'_ the voice speaks to her again.

Alice goes to shake him by the shoulders, trying to get a response from him, but it was no use. Then she does the next best thing she knows how and starts to perform CPR on him.

After a few seconds of trying, she glanced up at his motionless face and pleaded in a whisper, "Come on, Doctor, just please wake up."

She went back to start CPR on him again, not having noticed Martha had entered into the room dashing about hurriedly, probably over to the machine to try and sort it out. But Alice's focus was on the Doctor, and she wasn't going to let him die, not if she could help it.

"Oh, God..." Alice glanced up for a brief moment at Martha from giving the Doctor air to be reminded about his two hearts. She goes back to do compressions on his chest. But it was becoming unbearable to breathe, and her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen.

"Ally..." Alice heard Martha call her weakly, "We're running out of air."

"I know!" the redhead coughed. She could feel her attempts to revive him starting to weaken her, "One...two...three...four...five."

She heard Martha gasp from behind her and drop to the floor unconscious. For a moment, her vision starts to blur, but she shakes it off. The Doctor began to cough from beside her as he returned to life.

Her eyes become a blur of colour as she coughed, "Doctor...the scanner. She did something," The last thing Alice remembers before passing out was the Doctor's blurry face hovering over hers as she uttered to him, "Donna's going to bloody kill you..."

And with that, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she was greeted with darkness.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

Miraculously, the Doctor had somehow saved them all, and everyone in the hospital was safely back on solid ground. Alice was currently sat in the back of an ambulance, waiting for her mother and gramps to come and fuss over her after having been called, probably to insist she stay at home for a few days. Her eyes now searched around for the Doctor, but he was nowhere in sight. Which she probably expected of him anyway. To just disappear after having saved the day. She glances over at her best friend in the next ambulance nearby. Getting up, she went to approach her.

"Have you seen him anywhere?" Alice asked, coming to sit beside Martha, giving her a somewhat surprised look before shaking her head.

"No...how about you?"

"No," she answered with a shrug, "Wouldn't bother worrying about him anyway. He'll be alright. This is just what he does, leaving and not wanting to explain anything. But maybe you'll see him again one..." Alice now trailed off, catching sight of the TARDIS, wondering when it had gotten there.

"What makes you say that?" Martha asked her with a frown, not having noticed the blue police box Alice was gazing at.

"Maybe there was a reason we ran into him this morning going to work," Alice shrugged again, "I never thought I'd see him ever again, yet looked what happened? We met again. It's like the universe is trying to tell us something. What do you think?"

But Martha doesn't get to answer as only to get interrupted by Martha's sister that Alice knew as Tish calling out as she comes running towards her, "Martha!" Getting up, Martha went to hug her before her sister started speaking at a hundred miles an hour, "Oh, God! I thought you were dead! What happened? It was so weird because the police wouldn't say they didn't have a clue. And I tried phoning, but I couldn't get through. Mum's on her way, but she couldn't get through. They've closed off all the roads."

"Martha, if it's alright, I might skip coming to Leo's birthday party tonight, " Alice broke gently to her flatmate once Tish had stopped speaking, "I'd rather spend some time with my family after today."

"Yeah, of course, that's fine Ally, do whatever you need to do," Martha nodded in understanding, "See you later, yeah," with that, they hugged before Martha left with her sister, who gave Alice a wave which was returned.

Looking back in the direction of the TARDIS Alice catches a glimpse of the Doctor from the corner of her eye as he's walking back towards it, briefly waving at her with a smile. Alice nodded in return and waves back. When suddenly, she's attacked with a load of blonde hair that belongs to the likes of her mother, wrapping her tightly in a hug.

"Alice, I drove down here quickly as I could. Thank heavens, you're alright!" Sylvia cried.

As the young Noble hugged her mother back, she noticed that the TARDIS had now disappeared along with the Doctor.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

Before Alice knew it, nighttime had come as she was currently pacing about her old bedroom mobile phone to her ear, speaking to Donna, who had heard what happened and had to insist that she come home immediately to check on her little sister. But she had to convince her big sister to stay in Egypt.

"Donna, honestly, there's no need to come home," Alice insisted, continuing to walk about her room, "I'm okay. Just don't let this opportunity you've been given go to waste because of me. You need to do it for you."

"But Al..."

"No 'ifs' no 'buts'," the young Noble cuts her off, earning her an aggravated huff from like she knew Donna would, "You're staying put. Also, whatever mum tries to tell you, don't let her convince you to come home. I know she hates the of you travelling and keeps nagging at you to find a job, get married and have a couple of kids. But between you and me, sis, there's more to life. We've seen it for ourselves. And you deserve this trip, Don, you really do. So if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me, please," there's a drawn-out silence on the other end of the line just when Donna breaks it with a sigh of defeat.

"Alright...I'll stay. Besides, your probably right anyway."

Alice grinned smugly into the phone, "You know I'm always right about everything sis," even though she couldn't see Donna's face, she was probably rolling her eyes about now.

"Oh, shut up, bookworm," she teased Alice affectionately.

"Oh, never, Don."

With that, Donna went on to change the subject, "So how did you get back to Earth anyway?

Alice hesitated on this for a moment whether or not tell her sister about the Doctor's reappearance into her life. So, to save her sister from the pain, she decided against telling her. Because she knew it wouldn't actually matter.

"I honestly haven't got a clue," Alice lied, "Can't really remember much it was just all bizarre."

"I bet it was. Alright, Ally, I talk to you soon, yeah. I've got an early start in the morning."

"Okay, well, have fun. I love you."

"I love you too, sis."

Just as she hung up the phone, an odd sound pierced through her ears. One that she was very familiar with—the grinding and whooshing of the TARDIS. Alice quickly dashed over towards her bedroom window that was at the front of the house. Standing there in all its blue glory was the TARDIS with the Doctor casually leaning against it, peering up at the young woman with a smile. Alice couldn't help but stare at him for a moment, confused as to why he was here. But she'd only find that out if she asked him herself. Going to grab her long thick pink cardigan, she slung it on quickly, pulled on her pink converse and tied them up to go charging out of her room.

Gently shutting the front door behind her. Alice wandered towards the Doctor, trying to pretend he wasn't staring at her. She came to a stop before him. Arms coming to fold across her chest.

"What you doing here, Spaceman?" the young redhead asked with a raised eyebrow, "Not going to try and attack me with your lips again, are we?" she shivered slightly.

"No, of course not!" he blushed before awkwardly clearing his throat and tipping back and forth on his heels, "As I told you, it was just a genetic transfer. Nothing more."

"Well, I certainly hope not because that won't be happening again," she shivered again, recalling the memory of it. This he noticed, making him feel a little insulted by it.

"I wasn't that bad?"

"Oh, it was awful," Alice returned bluntly, "There was no need for you to use tongue either."

The Time Lord sputters and gets all flustered, "I-I never used any tongue!"

"I'm pretty certain that you did. It was disgusting," Alice could barely hold back her laughter about how red in the face the Doctor was getting. She just indeed found it amusing, "Right so," she started to speak, "What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"

His face went back to normal as he replied with an answer she thought she'd never hear, "Well, I was just wondering...maybe since you saved my life that you'd like to come travelling with me."

"Whatever happened to travelling on your own?" Alice asked curiously with a frown.

"I've just been thinking about what you said..."

She knowingly smirked, understanding perfectly what he was getting at, "That I was right," she finished off.

"Well... you could say that," he nodded, before going to stick his hands in his trouser pockets, with an anticipatory look, "So what'd say Ally?"

What was she supposed to say? Of course, she wanted to go, but what about her sister? Was she willing enough to abandon her family, let alone her career, for the chance to travel the stars? Maybe Alice should discover what is out there before properly dedicating the rest of her life to medicine. Perhaps this chance to travel with the Doctor was the only chance she might get, so she might as well live while she can.

Because Donna would be gunning for her to go, as Alice gazed back at the Doctor, she knew that saying no wasn't going to be an option.

So with a grin she uttered, "I'd love to!" he returned her grin, "But there will be some conditions," the grin fell instantly off his face as she held up a finger, "Right, no trying to kiss me again or there will be another slap heading your way mister. Genetic transfer or not," she added, seeing he was about to protest, "Next thing, I'd like a permanent room if I'm going to be travelling with you. Not a one trip kind of deal. Another thing, we're going to pick up my flatmate Martha and ask her to come with us, cause I know she's nice, and I think she'll be good for you," Alice paused to look up at him.

After a few minutes of silence, the Time Lord spoke, "What's your final condition?"

"Lastly, I will not be a replacement for Rose," Alice bluntly put noticing him tenses up at the mention of her name, "I'm not gonna compete with the ghost of somebody you lost," she took a deep breath and asked, "So have we got a deal?

He looked at her for a few seconds longer, and stiffly nodded, "Deal."

With everything sorted out, Alice grinned with excitement as she quickly grabbed his hand, "Come on, Spaceman, let's go!" she yanked him inside the TARDIS with some enthusiasm, both she and him laughing as the doors closed shut behind them.

Alice was ready to see the universe, but she wouldn't do it without her best friend. It was time to go and pick up Martha.

❈•≫────≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫────≪•❈

Alice leant against the TARDIS doors, waiting for the Doctor to bring her friend Martha back. She was just bubbling with excitement at the thought of starting this adventure with the Doctor. It was going to be incredible. That's what she knew for sure. Judging from the first time she met him, it was going to be a proper epic one.

Even though she felt excited, a part of her felt somewhat guilty for not having told her family where she was going. Still, they wouldn't understand it, only Donna would, but she hated not being able to say to her she wasn't even going to be in the UK soon. But when she eventually saw her family, she just prayed and hoped they'd forgive her for literally disappearing off the face of the Earth.

After waiting for a few more moments, the Doctor comes around the corner without Martha in toe, and it concerned Alice, her best friend, might have said no, which she hoped not. Alice wanted to share this journey with her. She just didn't like the idea of travelling alone with the Doctor. She just didn't know why.

He comes to lean beside the redhead. As she was about to ask him where Martha was, she comes walking around the corner of the alleyway in which they currently stood.

"Martha!" A wide grin split across Alice's face.

"Ally!" the other woman voiced happily but at the same time surprised to see her best friend here goes to hug her briefly. Letting go, she glanced over at the Doctor with interest. Which only made Alice frown with confusion but decided to shake it off as it being nothing.

"I went to the moon today," Martha now points out as if she wanted to remind the Doctor about it. But of course, he didn't need to be told when it had only happened today.

"Hey, I was on the moon as well remember," Alice pretended to take offence of not being included.

"Well, it's a bit more peaceful than down here," the Time Lord remarked. Which Alice couldn't help but nod in agreement with, especially with what they went through up there.

Martha also nodded and stayed silent for a few moments before mentioning, "So..." she paused for a second. I know you're called the Doctor, but what sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."

"Tell me something I already don't know," Alice responded with a small laugh as Martha looked over at her friend, "But that is quite a good question..." she now glances in the Doctor's direction, "What type of alien are you exactly?"

"I'm a Time Lord."

At that moment, both women let out a collection of snorts, but it was Martha who decided to comment on it with a roll of her eyes and fold her arms across her chest, "Right! Not pompous at all, then."

Alice then added, "Wow, I knew that you were full of yourself already, but that's just going way too far!" she cheekily grinned at the Doctor to make sure he knew she was joking. He just shakes his head at her.

"So I was just wondering," the Doctor cleared, "Since I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip."

Alice internally shook her head. Recalling the condition, she had made that this wasn't going to be a one-off trip. She never implied anything about her best friend travelling with them on a permanent basis. A loophole she never saw coming! She really loathed him right now.

"What, into space?" Martha asked as she furrowed her eyebrows together with confusion and uncertainty.

But Alice was the one who answered with a grin in the Time Lords direction, "Well, kind of yeah."

"I can't...I mean...we can't..." Martha looked to Alice with a frown as if to still pondering why she was here. Was she still serious about being a doctor? "Ally, we've got exams to prepare for. We've both got things to get on with. I've got to be in town first to pay our rent. I've got my family going mad..."

"If it helps, it can travel in time, as well," the Time Lord cut in with a tiny grin.

Martha's mouth instantly dropped open, "Get out of here!" she now glanced in Alice's direction, wondering if he was actually serious or not.

"Oh, he's deadly serious, by the way," Alice replied, knowing what her flatmate must have been thinking, "I've seen the creation of Earth, and it was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. It really does travel in time, Martha, because I've seen it."

"Come on, Ally, now your just pulling my leg, " Martha shook her head at her best friend.

"I'll prove it, " the Doctor insisted before stepping inside the TARDIS.

Once the doors closed, it started to make those also familiar TARDIS noises when it was about to dematerialise out of sight, and Alice takes a step back to stand beside Martha gauging her best friends reaction as it vanished before their eyes.

"You've got to kidding me!" Martha exclaimed.

"Not kidding!" the redhead smirked.

In total awe of it, all Martha waved her hand about in the spot where the TARDIS had been. Now hearing it coming back, Alice tugged her flatmate clear of its path as it now finally re-materialised. The Doctor is stepping back out a few seconds later without his tie.

"You haven't got my tie by any chance, Ally?" he asked, looking to the young Noble.

"Yeah, I do actually," Alice confirmed with a nod before fishing it out the pocket of her cardigan, having taken out of the bag she had put it in earlier when the Doctor had given it to her this morning. Something told her that he'd probably need it back.

"Thanks," he takes it from her with a gracious smile before glancing in Martha's direction, smugly mak, "See told you!"

"But how...that was this morning on our way to work!" she frowned at him and then at Alice, as the Doctor put his tie back on, "But - Did you... Oh, my God! You can travel in time! But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," the Doctor explained, coming over all serious for a moment which was soon replaced by a warming smile, "Except for cheap tricks."

"Which includes being an absolute show off at times," Alice muttered under her breath, knowing that he probably had heard her but has decided to try and ignore it.

"And that's your spaceship?" Martha asked, going to lay her hand upon the box, her fingertips grazing its surface.

The Doctor watched her for a moment tilting his head slightly as the young woman touched the TARDIS, "It's called the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Your spaceship's made of wood. There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate."

Alice shared equally amused looks with the Doctor, and she chuckled lightly with a subtle smirk, "It's more that it looks than what it does on the outside, believe me."

The Doctor tried to stifle his laughter at the young woman's comment as he went to push the door open, "Take a look."

Martha took a tentative step inside as the Doctor and Alice shared another look and a smile before following Martha inside. Yet the young woman didn't stay inside for long, somewhat taken aback by the sheer size of it the TARDIS insides.

"Oh, no, no," she shook her head and went racing back outside into the alleyway as Alice couldn't help but be amused by her best friends reaction. Knowing she might have had probably done the same thing, "But it's just a box. But it's huge."

"See, there's plenty of room for all of us," Alice now allowed the amusement to show on her face in the form of a smile as she now leant in the doorway.

But Martha doesn't respond too distracted by the thought of how something so small could be so massive on the inside, "How does it do that? It's wood," she gave it a knock on the outside, "It's like a box with that room just rammed in," she comes walking back inside the TARDIS, eyes taking in the fantastic sight before her, "It's bigger on the inside."

Alice shook her head in disbelief as she saw the Doctor mouthing along to her best friends words.

"Is it?" he asked, pretending to astonished about it himself, "I hadn't noticed."

"I take it that's not the first time you've heard that?" Alice asked out of curiosity.

"You'd be amazed. Well, except perhaps for you. You told me it looked smaller on the outside," the Time Lord informed the young woman with a slight grin. Of course, leave to her to be different from everyone else, "Nobody has ever said that to me once," he shook his head, closing the doors behind them and throws his coat over one of the coral beams before going over towards the console. Clapping his hands together and smiling, "Right, shall we get going then?"

Alice couldn't help but grin with happiness as she bounded over towards him, "So where are you taking us?" She enquired enthusiastically, "To the past? The future? A far off-planet? Where or when exactly?"

The Doctor couldn't help notice how excited Alice was as he let out a laugh and was about to answer her question when Martha interrupted.

"But is there a crew?" she asked, "Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

His expression becomes solemn as making the young redhead wonder if he was thinking about Rose again.

The Time Lord averted Martha's gaze at all costs as he began wondering around the console pressing various buttons, "Just me."

"All on your own?"

He still avoided her gaze as he answered back, "Well, sometimes, I have guests. I mean some friends travelling alongside. I had - there was recently a friend of mine. Rose, her name was Rose. And... we were together. Anyway."

Even though he wasn't looking at both women, Alice could sense his eyes were probably becoming hazy at the very thought of the woman he had been or was still in love with.

"Where is she now?" Martha asked.

He now meets Martha's eyes, "With her family. Happy. She's okay," to then quickly add, "Not that you're replacing her," he briefly glanced at Alice, clearly remembering the condition he had agreed to with her when she had decided to come travelling with him. She returned a knowing smirk at him and nodded. Even though it was meant for her benefit and her best friend, too, she didn't want Martha thinking that she was a replacement either.

"Never said I was," Martha simply points out.

"Just one trip to say 'thanks', you get one trip, then back home," the Doctor returned his tone more serious, "I'd rather be on my own."

The young black woman was somewhat disappointed for a moment, only to shake it off, "So I take it that applies to Ally as well? One trip for the pair of us is that it."

Alice gazed at him in disbelief. Was he going back on her words on this being more than one trip? Then it occurred to her maybe the Doctor's was just saying those things to her friend since it wouldn't be fair if she continued to stay and Martha didn't... Perhaps that was what it was.

But in doing so, the Doctor promptly changed the subject, grinning madly at both of them, "Close down the gravitic anomalizer," he yanked down a lever, "Fire up the helmic regulator," he dashed to the other side of the console to pull on another lever, still grinning at both women as they see a twinkling in his eyes, "And finally - the hand brake. Ready?"

"No," Martha replied, but Alice noticed her eyes said something else entirely that she was just as raring to go she was.

"Oh, I'm 100% ready!" I Alice grinned back at him.

Which made the Time Lord grin all the more, "Off we go!" he pulls the handbrake, and the TARDIS began to violently shake around them, bumping into one another and the Doctor falling over.

Alice tightly grasped onto the console for her life, her knuckles almost going white. At this rate, it was a very bumpy ride to wherever the Doctor was taking them.

"Blimey!" Martha hollered as she also gripped onto the console, and the Doctor hobbled back up onto his feet, working on the controls, "It's a bit bumpy!"

"Really, I didn't notice!" Alice returned a little sarcastically, still holding on for dear life.

The Time Lord laughed at them both, going to reach his open hand out to Martha, "Welcome aboard, Miss Jones."

She shakes hands with him, smiling widely, "It's my pleasure, Mr Smith!"

"Welcome aboard once again, Miss Noble," he now held out his hand to Alice with a grin.

She simply beamed back at him, taking his hand and firmly shaking it. Because the adventure had only just begun and she couldn't wait to see where they ended up!


End file.
